Astral Cafe: Every Anime Combined
by gryphonfg
Summary: A crossover between my own published series: The Astral Cafe and numerous anime and manga series. Rook, Brandy, Emma, and Steph use a door from the Cafe and end up in a version of Tokyo where all the different anime and manga series coexist. Meanwhile, a serial killer is stalking the streets leaving a bloody trail behind him.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was a slow day at the interdimensional restaurant known as the Astral Cafe. The tables in the semicircular, night sky tiled dining room were empty. The staff was lounging at the long oak bar with a couple of the usual customers. Rook, wearing his usual white button up shirt and tie, was relaxing behind the bar while he played a game of chess with Aristotle, dressed in a neon green polo and cargo shorts with his aviator sunglasses sitting on the bar next to the ornate chess set. The red haired waitress Emma sat next to the more curvy brunette Steph; talking to her about different things. Next to them was the petite brown haired owner of the restaurant, Brandy. At the far end of the bar was the skinny blond Chelsea, typing away on her glittery pink cellphone.

"I've been wondering something," Steph commented. "Where does that last door lead? I think that's the only one that I haven't been through."

"I'm not sure," Brandy replied. "None of the keys seem to fit that door."

"I think I can fix that," Rook said.

Rook pulled his bottomless messenger bag out from under the bar and carried it over to the door. He examined the lock and then started searching through the bag. He pulled out a lock pick and went to work on the lock. After about fifteen minutes he gave up and started searching through the bag again. He pulled out a large tool box and a new lock.

"You're going to be at this all night, man," Aristotle said. "Let me handle it."

An orb of green energy surrounded the lock. With a wave of the hand, the orb flew to the bar and shrank down, forming itself into a key.

"There you go, my dear. A key for that door."

"Thanks, Ari. Since things have been slow here for the last week, I'm thinking about cutting back on some people's hours," Brandy said. "Anyone want to volunteer for a vacation and come with me to check out this new world?"

"I'm always up for an adventure," Rook said. "And I'm already packed." He patted his bag.

"I don't really need the money, so I can give up a few days and tag along," Emma said.

"Can I come, too?" Steph asked.

"I'll stay here and watch over the Cafe," Aristotle said.

"No you won't," Brandy said. "Kate will be running thing while I'm gone. What about you, Chelsea? Want to come with us?"

"No thanks, I need to pick up whatever shifts I can to pay my phone bill," Chelsea replied without even looking up from her phone.

"Okay Emma and Steph, you two go pack and we'll head through when you get back," Brandy said. "I'll go upstairs and pack a few things."

* * *

It was the middle of the afternoon when the four of them walked through the newly unlocked door. Brandy and Emma had both left to pack overnight bags. Emma waited until the end of her shift and then used her super speed to hurry home and return with her bag. Rook had his bottomless haversack with him and did not need to leave.

As the four of they left, Chelsea asked them to get her a souvenir. They had seen a glimpse of the bustling city on the other side, however they did not have the full impression until they were through. Towering buildings lined both sides of the wide street packed with cars. Crowds of people flooded the sidewalks. The four of them managed to walk a block from the door when they began to realize that most of the people were oriental and the signs on the buildings and billboards were in an Asian language.

"Where are we?" Steph asked.

"If I would have to guess, I would say Japan," Rook said.

"Why do you think that?" Brandy asked.

"Because everyone is speaking Japanese," Rook replied.

"When did you learn Japanese?" Brandy asked.

"I've been studying a few different languages. Japanese is one of them."

The four of them proceeded further and managed to find a hotel only four blocks from the door. They decided that this was a good place to stay, it was close to the Cafe and they would not have to keep searching for another hotel.

Rook found some yen in his bag and went to the front desk. After making the arrangements, he came back to the girls.

"I got us two rooms for three days," Rook said. "If we want to stay longer, we can try to extend it. But I thought three days would be good for now. Steph and Emma can take one room and Brandy and I can take the other one."

"Nice try," Brandy said. "I think the three of us ladies can share a room and you're by yourself."

"That works for me," Rook said as he handed them their room key. "If any of you start to feel cramped, I might be willing to share my queen sized bed."

"I have the feeling that he wanted it to end that way," Emma said.

"I think he set it up so that he would win with whatever we decided," Steph commented. "Rook, what do we owe you for the rooms?"

"Three nights, three of you, a queen bed in my room, I'll let you do the math," Rook said as he walked towards the elevator

"He's not serious is he?" Emma asked.

"You really want me in your bed?" Steph asked eagerly.

Brandy grabbed both of the girls' shoulders. "Calm down you two, he's just messing with you. At least he better be if he knows what's good for him. Besides, his wives might have soemthing to say if they found out."

Rook went up to his hotel room on the third floor. The girls followed him up and found their hotel room next to his. Rook looked around his room. The walls were cream colored with some decorative wooden panels. A queen bed with white linens dominated part of the room. Behind it was a walk in closet. Separated from the bedroom was a living area with a pair of tan sofas and a wooden coffee table facing a large plasma screen television.

Everything appeared to be in order, so he went next door and knocked on the girls' room. Emma opened the door and let him in.

"I'm going to go explore the city," Rook said. "Anyone want to come with me."

"It looks like this hotel has a spa," Brandy says. "I think that we'll explore there first."

Rook wandered the streets of the new city for a while and stumbled upon a go salon. He saw several older men playing a board game that he did not recognize through the window. Intrigued, he went inside and watched several of the people play. Two people sat across from each other with a board covered in a grid pattern. One person had white stones, the other had black stones and they both placed them on the intersections. As Rook watched, he slowly picked up the rules. If they completely surrounded a group of the other player's stones, they took them off the board.

In the back of the salon, there was a woman that looked to be about twenty years old playing against a middle aged man. She had shoulder length brown hair and placed her stones with confidence. A crowd of other people were all watching the game. Rook joined the crowd and watched as well. The young woman appeared very confident. The older man was puffing away on a cigarette. After a while the middle aged man resigned.

"Who's next?" the man asked the crowd as he and the woman recovered the stones from the board.

"Mind if I play?" Rook asked.

The middle aged man got up. No one objected, so Rook sat down across from the young woman.

"How many stones do you want to put down?" the woman asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm just learning how to play, I haven't learned all the details yet," Rook said.

The woman sighed. "You might want to study a little more before playing in a place like this."

"Don't worry about me, I'm a quick learner."

"In that case, put down nine stones on the stars."

Rook took several black stones from the dish in front of him and put them on the nine marked intersections on the board. The woman played a white stone almost immediately. Rook had no understanding of the strategy involved in this game and tried to puzzle it out as he played. The woman quickly dominated him on the board. In half an hour their game was over.

"It's over," the woman said. "You lost. Are you in any go study groups? If not, that might be the best place to start learning."

"Actually, learning like this works best for me. I think I am starting to understand how this game is played. Any chance I can trouble you for another round?"

The crowd that had watched the woman play against the middle aged man had dispersed. No one was there to object to Rook playing again. Rook once again put down his nine stones. He had figured out the basics of the woman's strategy from the game he had observed and the one he had just lost. He tried to incorporate that into the placement of his stones. The game lasted much long and at the end, even though he had lost, it was by far less.

"You only lost by seventy points that time. You are right, you did do better."

"Thanks. I'll be in town for a couple days. I might stop in again for another game."

"I'd be interested in seeing how much better you get. Maybe next time I won't go easy on you."

The two of them picked up their stones and put them back in the dishes. Rook then picked up his bag and walked outside and saw that the sun had long since set. A moment later the woman exited the salon.

"Man, it's late," the woman said. "It looks like I'll have to walk home."

"The least I could do for your instruction is to walk you home," Rook said.

The two of them walked down the street talking. The woman introduced herself as Nase Asumi and explained that she had just finally passed the test to become a professional player the year before. Rook told her that he was a bartender at a restaurant and that he and some of his friends were on vacation here. He left out the part about Cafe being a pocket dimension.

Asumi's apartment was in a building several blocks from the go salon. He walked her to the door and said good night. After she went inside he looked around. He was not sure how to get back to the hotel.

* * *

The large, crimson spider covered with short fur silently stalked its prey down a dark street. From the eves of the stores and restaurants the spider followed a man in a red bandanna. Except for the spider and the man, the street was deserted. At this time of night, all of the shops were closed.

The man in the bandanna turned down another street and stopped. Three more men were there waiting. All four of the men had spider tattoos on their hands or arms.

"What's the news, Doku?" the man asked one of the three.

"It seems like everyone is coming here, Jien. Someone said that even Bui is on his way here," Doku said.

"You mean the guy that lost the Dark Tournament three years back?" another one asked.

"He made it to the finals," Doku said. "Rumor has it he's been training since then and is even stronger than he was three years ago."

Jien laughed maniacally. "Tokyo should get really interesting soon. The streets are going to run red with blood. There will be no one who can stop us."

The four men separated and went their own ways. The spider continued to stalk Jien. Once Jien had turned down another street, the spider leaped from the buildings and pounced on Jien's shoulder. The spider bit Jien and began to burrow its way into his flesh. Jien fell to the ground screaming in pain, but there was no one to hear him. He clawed at his back, but the spider had already burrowed underneath his skin.

The screams died suddenly and the man reopened his eyes. He stood up and looked down at his hands.

'This body is weak', he thought to himself. 'All that searching for such a low class yokai. I will have to search for more powerful prey so that I can regain my former power. I, Naraku, will not be stopped.'


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Why did you have to bring them to a crime scene?" Inspector Megure asked as a teen age girl and a little boy followed Detective Kogoro Mori into the apartment.

"We were on our way to the mall when I got your call. I didn't have time to take them home," Kogoro said. "Besides, Ran and Conan have probably been to more crime scenes then most of your officers."

"That's nothing to brag about. Now down to business, the victim was Sanada Naoko, twenty five years old," Inspector Megure explained. "She shared this apartment with Nase Asumi. Naoko worked as a waitress at the Anna Miller restaurant a few blocks from here. She was last seen walking home from work last night at ten fifteen. We estimate the time of death to be between midnight and two in the morning. The body were discovered a little after this morning when Asumi noticed that Naoko had not gotten up and went to wake her."

Kogoro listened intently to everything Inspector Megure said as they walked around the apartment. The body of Naoko was laying twisted on the floor of one of the bedrooms. The body looked as if it had been attacked by a wild beast. She was covered in lacerations and her face was frozen in an expression of terror. Some of the furniture was overturned. A pair of officers were moving around the crime scene examining everything and taking pictures. Two other officers were questioning a group of people.

"From the appearance of the room, the victim saw the killer and tried to struggle," Inspector Megure said.

"I don't see what you called me here for, Inspector," Kogoro said. "It's obvious that the roommate did it. They got into an argument over a boy that they were both in love with. Asumi decided to eliminate the competition. Having seen the news about the serial killer, she copied his MO and waited a few hours before calling it in to give herself time to dispose of the evidence and to make herself look innocent."

"That's not true!" a young woman cried out. "I would never do that! We were good friends."

"Forensics already checked the apartment. There is no signs of any murder weapon here and no signs of the victim's blood outside of this room. There is also no evidence of any attempts to clean any blood."

Conan snuck closer to the body and studied the wounds. The flesh was torn, not cut, meaning that the murder weapon was not very sharp. The lacerations were close together and evenly spaced. It reminded Conan of when he saw a person that was mauled by an animal.

Kogoro picked Conan up by the collar.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kogoro asked.

"I'm trying to be a great detective like you," Conan lied.

"I am a great detective, aren't I." Kogoro dropped the kid on the floor away from the body and turned to Ran. "Keep the squirt out of the way."

"Conan, you can't play around here," Ran said as she pulled Conan out of the way.

"Inspector, we found him!" Officer Sato said as she hurried into the room.

"Found who?" Kogoro asked.

"The stranger that was seen in front of the building last night," Inspector Megure said. "One of the neighbors noticed an American standing in front of the building by himself a little while after the estimated time of death."

Officer Sato and another officer escorted the American into the room. The American was in his mid-twenties and wore a jean jacket with an intricate design embroidered in gold thread on the back. Officer Sato handed Megure the American's passport and ID card. The name on the passport was Amadeus Rook.

"He was staying in a hotel a few blocks away. There is a group of four of them sharing two rooms. We also found a spear, a katana, a chef's knife, a stiletto, and a pocket knife in his hotel room. Forensics is examining them right now."

"Then it must be him!" Kogoro announced. "He spotted Naoto at the restaurant, became obsessed with her and followed her home. He tried to force himself on her. She resisted, so he killed her."

"I did? Funny, I don't remember doing any of that," the American said in perfect Japanese.

"Don't try to be funny," Inspector Megure shouted. "This is a very serious situation. This murder is identical to the serial killings that have been happening for the past three weeks."

"Good thing I have an alibi," Rook said. "Ms. Nase over there can tell you where I was all evening."

"Is that true, Ms. Nase?" Inspector Megure asked.

"Yes, he was at the go salon playing against me most of the evening. We left there late and he insisted on being a gentleman and walking me home. He dropped me at the door of the building."

"I was only standing around outside afterward because I was unsure of how to get back to my hotel and I was looking at a map," Rook added.

"Maybe the two of them are in on it together," Kogoro suggested.

"What's the motive?" Megure asked.

"I don't know," Kogoro said thoughtfully. "But I have one more question for you. What are you doing here in Japan?"

"I'm on vacation here with a couple of my friends."

"Then why do you have all those blades in your room?"

"I just bought the sword at a shop here as a souvenir. I should have the receipt back in my room. I always bring a good chef's knife with me because I'm serious about my cooking. And you never know when you might need a Swiss army knife. The spear and stiletto are a little harder to explain, but I'm sure you'll find that they were not used in any of these crimes."

While Inspector Megure and Kogoro questioned the American and the roommate, Conan walked around the crime scene, careful not to disturb anything or get in anyone's way.

Conan looked out one of the windows. The murderer had probably entered through the front door, but there were no blood stains or other signs that he left the same way. One of the windows opened onto a fire escape. Conan's sharp eyes noticed a small piece of fabric caught on the fire escape.

"Inspector, look over here," Conan said.

"Conan, don't bother the police while they work," Ran Mori, the detective's daughter, said as she pulled Conan away from the window. "I wish Shin'ichi was here, he'd solve this case."

Conan let Ran pull him back to the front door where Ran's father and the inspector were still questioning the two suspects as well as the woman that lived in the apartment next door. Conan mentally cursed his child body. If he was in his old body, the body of Kudo Shin'ichi, then the police would let him investigate as much as he wanted and listen to his deductions.

"Mori, what motive would Mrs Urameshi have to kill these two?" Inspector Megure asked, his voice starting to show annoyance that Kogoro failed to detect. "Besides, there is no evidence that she committed the crime."

"Inspector Megure," Officer Sato said. "We just got word from the station. The American's sword and knife had no traces of blood."

"Then he must have cleaned them after the murders," Kogoro said.

"There were no signs of any cleaning chemicals either. Neither the sword nor the knife is the murder weapon," Officer Sato said.

Conan was sure that none of the suspects were the murderer, even though there was something suspicious about the American. After a moment, Ran let go of him. Slowly, Conan sneaked back towards the window. He took off his bow tie and turned the dial on the voice changer.

"Inspector, there is something out on the catwalk, it could be a clue," Conan said in a deeper voice.

Inspector Megure and Kogoro hurried over to the window while Conan slipped back towards the door. Inspector Megure sent one of the officers to retrieve the piece of cloth. It turned out to be a blood stained piece of a pant leg.

"I want everyone to go down there and search that alley for more signs of the killer. We must find his trail," Inspector Megure ordered his officer. "Get photos and notes of everything to send to L."

A man with thick black hair and a long black trench coat entered the apartment, followed by a young woman in a long, high collared black dress with her brown hair tied up in two tails on the sides of her head. The man had a vial of green liquid hanging around his neck. The woman had a red pendant with a cross.

"This is a closed crime scene. You can't come in here," Officer Sato said.

"We're with the STN-J," the man said. "We're here to take over the investigation."

Two more people entered the room. It was another man and woman. Both of them had brown hair. The woman's hair was short and tied up. The man looked to be about eighteen. Both of them had vials like the first man's around their necks. The two of them moved about the crime scene as soon as they entered the room.

"This crime scene is still in the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department," Inspector Megure said as he confronted the man in the black trench coat.

"We have reason to believe that the culprit is in our jurisdiction," the man said as he handed some paperwork to the inspector.

"Amon," the woman said from where she was knelling next to the dead bodies. "Whatever killed these two wasn't human. I can't see the killer clearly, but he seems like some sort of beast or monster."

"How did he kill them?" Amon, the man in the black trench coat, asked. "Was it done with the craft?"

"He did it with his bare hands. He had claws. I think I'm going to be sick," the woman said as she got up.

"Let's get out of here," Ran whispered to Conan and pulled him out of the apartment.

Conan was reluctant to leave. The case was getting more and more complicated. There were two more murders and no real clues to the identity of the killer. Conan was starting to get frustrated. He had even called Hattori for help, but the detective in Osaka could not figure it out either. He had been to all of the crime scenes and could not find any clues to the identity of the killer. None of the seventeen victims had anything in common with each other. Businessmen, house wives, college students, waitresses. There were all killed at night, but in different parts of the city. Some were indoors, some were outside. Two of them were even killed at the same time, but at opposite ends of the city. There was no way the serial killer could pull that off unless there was more than one. Now this group called the STN-J was getting involved and whoever they were, Inspector Megure did not like them.

Even if there were multiple killers, there was still no apparent motive. There was nothing connecting any of the victims. The only possibility that Conan saw was what he feared the most, that it was completely random. A killer who killed just to kill, a homicidal psychopath.

"Let's go home and I'll make us some dinner," Ran said, interrupting Conan's thoughts.

* * *

Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku, wearing his straw hat, eye patch, pink flowered haori over his white coat and black kimono, stood at the end of a large meeting chamber. The weight of his officer and the recent battles seemed to have aged him. The other captains stood in two rows in front of him.

The Fifth Division's captain, Shinji Hirako, was the last to arrive. The blonde haired captain wore the same sleeveless white coat with the insignia of their division on the back and black kimono as the other captains. His only variation was a white scarf around his neck.

The short captain of the Second Division, Soifon, glared at him irritably. Soifon's black hair hung in two long braids that ended with golden rings which swung as she pointedly turned away from him.

"What's all this about?" Shinja asked.

"Now that you're here, we should find out," the tall, muscular captain Kenpachi Zaraki said boredly.

"If you will all quiet down, I'll tell you why I called this meeting," Captain Commander Shunsui said.

Everyone fell silent and looked at their leader. Shunsui's solitary eye gazed at the officers gathered in front of him for a moment.

"We have detected several unusual presences in the human world," Shunsui said. "They are neither pluses nor hollows. Whatever they are, they are killing humans. We must find out what they are and put an end to them. I want a team assembled with at least one captain to deal with the situation." Shunsui paused as he scanned the twelve captains before him. "Captain Hitsugaya, you have a very keen mind. I think that you are best suited to face an unknown enemy."

Shocked, the remaining captains gaped at the short, white haired boy who looked a little surprised at being given this assignment.

"Commander Shunsui," the white and black faced Mayuri Kurotsuchi spoke up. "I must protest. As head of the Shinigami Research Institute, I think that I am the best qualified to handle unknown races."

"While you are head of the Shinigami Research Institute, I am certain that there are matters here that require your attention," Shunsui replied flatly. "My decision stands, Toshiro Hitsugaya will lead the team. Who will go with him?"

"Since most of the sightings have happened in Tokyo, including Karakura Town, we might want to contact Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya Kuchiki suggested.

"If we are going to use Ichigo, we could include Rukia on the team since she has worked extensively with him," Jushiro Ukitake said.

"Very well," Shunsui said. "Toshiro Hitsugaya, you will take Rukia Kuchiki and contact Ichigo Kurosaki. Then find the source of this mysterious presence and deal with it accordingly. If you ask nicely, Kurotsuchi, I'm sure that Toshiro will bring you a body to study. Dismissed."

The twelve captains all filed out of the chamber. Before Toshiro had gone very far, Kurotsuchi stopped him.

"Toshiro, my dear boy, if you are able could you bring me one of these mysterious killers alive so I can study it."

"I will do exactly what Commander Shunsui ordered me to do," Toshiro replied coldly and walked away.

Toshiro walked down a series a streets until he reached his division's headquarters. There he found his lieutenant, the voluptuous strawberry blond Rangiku Matsumoto, waiting for him. She had completed only a small portion of the paper work that had been piling up on his desk.

"What was the council meeting about?" Rangiku inquired.

"Something is going on in human world," Toshiro said. "Rukia Kuchiki and I are going to investigate this. You will have to take care of the day to day operations of the Tenth Division while I'm away."

"Yes, sir."

"Make sure you actually get some work done this time."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The taxi dropped Brandy off at a building that looked just like every other building in the city. Brandy got out and smoothed her tan skirt. She had put on a professional looking ensemble that included a matching jacket over a white blouse.

The directions she was given told her to go up the stairs to the second floor office. She knocked on the door and a slender teenage girl answered the door.

"Hello, I am looking for detective Mori Kogoro," Brandy said in broken Japanese.

They had discovered that Rook and Emma were both able to speak the language effortlessly. Rook because of his studying and to Emma it came naturally, possibly one of her many alien powers. Brandy discovered that she could speak and understand a little. It seemed to be slowly coming to her or maybe coming back to her.

"Come in," the girl said. "I am Ran, his daughter. He should be back any moment."

Ran led Brandy inside the office. To one side there were a pair of couches facing each other across a coffee table. At the far end of the office there was a desk piled high with papers and a folders.

"You can wait here for him," Ran said motioning to a couch. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure."

Ran prepared a cup of tea for her and brought it out. Meanwhile a young kid wearing glasses and suspenders climbed up on the couch next to Brandy.

"Hi," the boy said. "Why do you want to hire Uncle Kogoro?"

"I'm trying to find out who I am," Brandy said.

The door to the office swung open and a tall man in a blue suit stormed in. He was muttering under his breath about some group taking over an investigation.

"And they had the nerve to send the great sleeping detective away," the man muttered.

"Dad, you have a client," Ran said trying to stop him.

Kogoro looked over and saw Brandy sitting on the couch.

"Welcome to the Mori Detective Agency," Kogoro said with his best smile as he shook her hand. "How can I, the great detective Mori Kogoro, be of service?"

"I'm trying to find myself," Brandy said.

"Do not fret, ma'am, I will find you," Kogoro said smoothly and then looked confused.

"I have amnesia," Brandy explained. "I don't know who I am or where I'm from. I was hoping that you could find out if anyone matching my description has gone missing here."

"From you accent, I am guessing that you are from America," a little boy with glasses said from one of the couches. "Why would you be missing from here?"

Kogoro grabbed something from the desk and threw it at the boy. "Stay out of this. Why don't you go play with your friends while the grownups do work?" Kogoro turned back to Brandy. "You sound like an American. Why aren't you checking to see if your missing there?"

"I have checked, all over. I figured that this was a long shot, however I have discovered that I know some Japanese, so I wanted to check."

"Have no fear, I am on the case. Now, let's have a seat and you can tell me everything you know about yourself."

Brandy and Kogoro sat on the couches. Ran hovered nearby keeping an eye on her father. Brandy explained that the first thing she remembered was walking into a restaurant over a year ago. She only had a feeling that her first name was Brandy. Since then she had been searching for any clues to her identity and had hired other private investigators to search for any signs she had gone missing from different place. No one had ever found anything. She herself had checked different missing persons databases for a picture of herself, to no avail. Brandy showed him the tattoo of a penguin on her foot and explained how she had no idea why she had it. Kogoro took a picture of her and of her tattoo for his files.

* * *

Brandy's visit with the detective took most of the morning. It most likely would have went faster if he had not been practically drooling over her, but she had come to expect that from most men. With the rest of the day free, she decided to visit some of the sites. The detective's daughter, Ran, recommended visiting the Tokyo Tower. Ran even came with her to show her around. The child, Conan, came along as well.

"This is the Tokyo Tower," Ran said as she waved her arm to indicate the thousand foot tall metal structure. "It is the second tallest building in Japan. Third if you count the new orbital elevator. The first four floors are souvenir shops, restaurants, and a museum. Then there are elevators up to the two observational decks. If we're lucky, we can see Mount Fuji from there."

The three of them went through the shops and museum and had lunch at one of the restaurants. Then they took an elevator to the first observation deck. As they were looking out at the three-hundred and sixty degree view of Tokyo, Brandy felt a wave of energy pass through her. She turned to say something to Ran, but Ran was no longer there. None of the tourists that had been there were around. She was alone.

The ceiling of the observation deck came crashing down. Brandy ran for cover. A teenager in a torn hoodie climbed out of the rubble. He noticed Brandy.

"How are you here? Only people with powerful spiritual energy can exist inside the barrier fields."

Before Brandy could ask him what he was talking about, an androgynous, white haired person flew down through the hole in the ceiling and attacked the teenager. The white haired person had a sash around its waist that flew out on its own and smashed the windows as the teen dodged the attacks.

Another teenager, wearing a black school uniform, flew through the hole in the ceiling. He held a long, double edged sword in one hand and helped the other teenager fight off their attacker. The attacker's sash parried the sword as he was forced back. The androgynous assailant flew away and the teen with the sword flew after him. The teenager in the hoodie looked over at Brandy who was crouching next to the elevator.

"You know, if I hadn't met Arashi, you would probably be the one. Don't worry, you're safe now. Are you some sort of priestess or shrine maiden? Maybe a shaman?"

"No, I'm just the owner of a restaurant. Who are you and what's going on?"

"I'm Sorata. Don't worry about this missy, if you're not involved then it is nothing to concern yourself over."

The teenager flew through the hole. Brandy got up and carefully approached the hole to see what was happening up there. The wave of energy she felt receded and all of the tourists were back as if they had never disappeared. The hole in the ceiling was gone. Brandy shook her head. This was a new world, so there was bound to be strange things, however this was no stranger than the things that happened in the Cafe on a regular basis.

* * *

The statuesque, white haired daiyokai Sesshomaru walked through the forest. A purple crescent moon decorated his forehead. He wore a cuirass with a spiked pauldron over his left shoulder over a white and red kimono and flowing hakama pants gathered at the ankles. A fluffy white tail covered his right shoulder and trailed behind him. Two swords were held in a yellow sash tied around his waist.

Sesshomaru was followed by his loyal companions; a small green yokai named Jaken and a human woman named Rin. Rin held the reins of their two-headed dragon, Ah-Un. Suddenly Sesshomaru stopped.

"What is wrong, master?" Jaken asked. "Why did you stop?"

"Show yourselves," Sesshomaru said.

Two young yokai appeared out of the ground. Both were dressed in black uniforms. One was a boy and the other was a girl. They appeared to be twins. They had matching scales around their lizard like right eyes.

"Who are you and why are you spying on me?" Sesshomaru asked.

"We are servants of the great Lady Gyokumen Koushou. She sent us with a message for you, master Sesshomaru," the boy said.

"Our master is summoning all yokai to her side in preparation to form a yokai empire. She is especially interested in powerful daiyokai such as yourself," the girl said.

"Tell your master that I am not interested in this yokai empire of yours," Sesshomaru said.

"If you will not join her, then we must eliminate you as a potential threat," the boy said.

The two yokai jumped at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru jumped back. The ground where he had been standing exploded under the twin's clawed spear hands. Sesshomaru drew his beige hilted katana Bakusaiga and swung. Both of the young yokai fell from the attack.

"I held back because I have no desire to kill children like you," Sesshomaru said. "If you continue to fight, I will kill you."

"We must do our master's bidding," the boy said as he got up.

The boy charged at Sesshomaru, but the daiyokai impaled him with the Bakusaiga before he could land a blow.

"Do you wish to continue this fight?" Sesshomaru asked the girl as he pulled his sword out of the boy's dead body.

"I will carry your message to my master," the girl said and quickly ran away.

Sesshomaru started walking again, only to stop after a few steps. There was a faint odor in the wind. He turned towards the direction of Tokyo and started walking in that direction.

"Mi'lord, we were heading in the other direction," Jaken said. "Why are we heading this way now?"

"I smell something," Sesshomaru said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Brandy had told Steph and Emma that she had an errand that she wanted to run, so the two of them were free to do whatever they wanted that day. The two friends decided to explore the city. They were told that Akihabara was a popular place and took a bus there.

Akihabara was a crowded shopping center. Most of the towering buildings sold electronics, computers, dvds and robot parts. The two girls stopped in some of the larger shops. One of the shops had several advanced computer systems called navi on display. Neither of the girls were interested that much in computers, so they continued on.

At one shop, Emma and Steph found some little stuffed animals they could clip on their bags or clothing. They had no idea what the toys were inspired by, but they thought they were cute and bought a couple of them.

Deciding that this district was not that interesting, the duo decided to head back to the hotel. They set off to the station to catch the bus going back, but could not find the station. They passed a sprawling two story building surrounded by a fence when they heard someone calling after them. The two girls turned around and saw a short, bald man in a suit.

"Are you the new English teacher?" the man asked.

"No," Emma replied and looked at Steph.

"And you?" the man asked Steph.

Steph could not understand what the man was saying. Unlike the others, she did not understand anything of Japanese.

Not hearing her say no, the man grabbed Steph by the arm and pulled her through the gate. He was talking the entire time, however Steph had no idea what he was saying. Finally he put her in the front of a classroom. Two dozen teenagers in school uniforms were looking at her. The boys wore white shirts, trousers, and matching jackets; the girls sailor suits with pleated skirts. The man said something to the class and they bowed, then he left, leaving Steph alone in the front of the classroom. Steph looked down at the book on the desk in front of the class and saw it said English. She decided that this must be a high school English class.

"Good morning class," Steph said.

"Good morning," the class responded in heavily accented English.

"I am Steph Petra," Steph said to the class. "Can anyone tell me what you are studying?"

A girl with pig tails stood up and explained their previous lessons. Steph, who had graduated from high school a year before, barely understood what the girl was talking about. She remembered her own English classes. They had read "Of Mice and Men" and "Huckleberry Fin" and they had written numerous essays. She did not remember every hearing of non-finite verbs.

"Thank you," Steph said. "What was your name?"

"Hiraki Horaki, sensei," the girl said.

Steph struggled with the material that the class had been studying and eventually just had the students read from the text book. During that class, a boy with thick black hair in the back fell asleep. Unsure of what to do, she just let him sleep. Most of the class were able to stumble through the reading, except for a girl with long blond hair that completely messed up her reading.

As the students were leaving, a man wearing a pin striped suit and a five o'clock shadow came into the room and started talking to her in a various serious tone. Then he drug her to an office where the bald man was waiting. Both of the men spoke angrily.

"She doesn't understand," Emma said as she walked into the office.

The men were quiet for a moment.

"I am sorry about that," the man in the pin striped suit said in English. "We had no idea that you did not understand Japanese. Our substitute English teacher did not show up on time this morning. Mr. Kuwabara was waiting outside for the teacher and mistook you for her. However, we recently received word that the substitute was the latest victim of the serial killer. We we heard that, we thought you were trying to trick us."

"If you need a new substitute teacher, I wouldn't mind helping you out," Steph said.

"Can you effectively teach a class when you don't speak their language?" the man asked.

"It's an English class, I will conduct it in English," Steph said.

"Unfortunately there are no other teachers available, so we'll give you a try," the man said. "I am Orihara Masaya, the academic head of this school. Be here on time tomorrow."

Emma met Steph outside of the school and Steph told her about what had happened as they made their way to the bus station. Steph had no idea where anything was in the bustling metropolis. Emma had an amazing sense of direction and led them back to the hotel. They found Rook and Brandy in their room with a meal laid out on a coffee table.

"I got a full spread," Rook said. "Miso soup, steamed dumplings, udon noodles, grilled chicken balls, sliced beef, deep fried shiitaki and scallops, tempura vegetable, and of course some futo maki. And for desert, I got rice balls filled with sweet bean paste. Enjoy."

Rook took a couple dumplings and a few pieces of futo maki. The girls helped themselves to the variety of foods. Brandy made sure to have a taste of everything.

"So, what did you do today?" Steph asked Brandy.

"I went to consult a private investigator to see if I'm from here. Then I went to see some of the Tokyo Tower. What about you two?"

"We went to the Akihabara shopping district," Steph said.

"And then Steph got a job as an English teacher," Emma added.

"You got a job?" Brandy asked. "But we're only here for a couple days."

"It's only a temporary position. I'll go back with you and just cut through the Cafe to get to work during the week. What about you, Rook?"

"I just did some basic exploring and research on this world. If you girls will excuse me, I have an appointment."

Rook grabbed a rice ball and left.

"Do you think he has a date?" Steph asked.

"I don't know. When was the last time Rook actually had a date?" Brandy replied.

"Speaking of dates, we should find us some guys to celebrate with tomorrow," Steph suggested.

"What are we celebrating?" Emma asked.

"Finding this world?" Brandy asked.

"Me getting a job."

"You're right, if you can survive tomorrow, that might be something to celebrate," Brandy said. "However, trying to find some decent guys on such short notice might be hard. I've only met one guy and I don't think any of us would want to go out with him."

"Just leave it to me," Emma said. "I'll find us three nice guys."

"Little miss alien finding good dates for us? If you can do that, we have more reason to celebrate."

* * *

Naraku rewrapped the white baboon pelt around himself after absorbing a fifth yokai into his body. None of the yokai he found in the city the last few days had been very strong. All he could find to feed on were these low rank yokai.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the alley. Naraku turned and saw two men and a woman walking towards him. He could feel a strong aura around each of them. He had finally found powerful yokai to feed on. The first man had long purple hair that fell down over the back of his black leather jacket. The man next to him was slightly taller, with short black hair and wearing a white Chinese shirt. The woman was slender with long black hair and a low cut top that revealed ample cleavage.

"Are you the one that has been eating my men?" the first one asked.

"I have," Naraku said. "And who might you be?"

"I am Kougaiji. The yokai you have been eating are part of my army."

"You will not have to worry about that for much longer. Once I absorb you three, I will not have to waste my time with your men."

Suddenly Naraku's arm transformed into a bunch of tentacles that reached out for Kougaiji. The three yokai moved too quickly for Naraku to follow. A sword appeared in the second man's hand and sliced through the tentacles while Kougaiji and the woman jumped to the roof of one of the buildings. The second yokai followed them as a large fireball formed in Kougaiji's hand. Kougaiji threw it at Naraku. Naraku formed a barrier around himself. The fireball engulfed the barrier and slowly burned its way through.

"No," Naraku said to himself as his barrier began to break. "I am still not strong enough."

"Enough of this," a woman's voice shouted.

A moment later the fire dispersed. Another woman had entered the alley. She appeared far more mature then the three yokai that Naraku was fighting. Her aura was slightly weaker than any of theirs, but still stronger than his own. Her blue kimono looked very expensive. He guessed that she was a woman who stayed behind the scenes and had underlings do her work.

"I am Gyokumen Koushou. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Naraku," the woman said. "I think I might have use for a being of your talents. If you work for me, then I will provide you with better nutrition then you can find on the streets."

"You can't trust him. He is a yokai that feeds on yokai, he could turn on us in an instant," Kougaiji shouted.

"It is my decision," Gyokumen Koushou snapped.

"It would be my pleasure to work with you," Naraku said as he gave the woman a slight bow.

"Splendid."

Gyokumen and Naraku walked out of the alley together.

"Dokugakuji, I want you to watch this Naraku," Kougaiji said. "I don't trust him."

"As you wish," the man with the sword said.

"Yaone, make sure that man never gets close to Lirin," Kougaiji said to the woman.

"Yes, my lord."

Kougaiji looked over and saw the sun starting to rise on the horizon. It was the beginning of a new day, but he felt worried about what type of day it was going to be.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Two of Ichigo's friends, Mizuiro and Keigo, rushed as quickly as they could as they tried to catch up with him in the hallway of the high school after class let out. His bright orange hair made it easy for them to find him in the crowd of people all leaving their classes. The crowd of students in the hallway forces them to dodge and weave and slowed their progress. Ichigo did not stop or look back even though they called after him. Finally they caught up to him.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Keigo asked.

"I got some things to do," Ichigo said.

"You got some girl waiting for you?" Mizuiro asked jokingly. "Is it Orihime?"

"I'm not going to meet Orihime," Ichigo said.

"Then who are you going to see?" Mizuiro asked.

"Who said I'm going to see anyone?"

"Ah, come on Ichigo," Keigo whined.

"I just have some things to do," Ichigo said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Mizuiro and Keigo gave up questioning Ichigo and walked away. Ichigo went up a staircase and walked out onto the roof of the high school. He found Rukia already there waiting for him. She was dressed in the same white blouse, gray jacket and skirt as the other girls in the school, even though it had been a year since she last pretended to be a student there.

"What did you want to talk about?" Ichigo asked.

"The Soul Society has received some strange reports," Rukia said. "Something is attacking the humans here."

"Are you talking about the serial killer that's in the news?"

"Yes. But the killer is not a human."

"What is he then, a hollow?"

"No. The killer is not a human nor a hollow nor a shinigami. Whatever it is, it's something else and we need to find out what."

"Fine," Ichigo said. "Let me go home and change into a soul reaper."

A little while later, Ichigo and Rukia were in their shinigami forms, invisible to ordinary humans, and jumped from rooftop to rooftop until they meet up with Toshiro Hitsugaya. All of them wore identical black kimonos and wide legged hakama pants. Toshiro still wore his white coat.

"What took you so long?" Toshiro asked, the serious tone of his voice was a sharp contrast to his youthful appearance.

"I was at school when Rukia found me," Ichigo said. "I didn't want to leave my body there, so I went home to change into a shinigami."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Toshiro said. "There is a target nearby. Let's go."

* * *

The sun had long since set when Ran and Sonoko walked out of the mall where they had spent the entire day like most teenagers their age.

"I knew we shouldn't have gone to see that movie," Ran said. "Now it's late."

"Come on, we just need to find a taxi to take us home," Sonoko said as she looked around.

The parking lot was nearly empty and the streets were quiet. There were no taxis in sight. The two young women started walking down the street towards Ran's house while they looked for a taxi.

"You're dad has almost solved this serial killer case, right?" Sonoko asked.

"No. Yesterday he was called down to an apartment building where a woman had been killed, but he still hasn't found any clues to the killer's identity."

Ran and Sonoko saw a man walking down the street towards them, so they crossed to the other side of the street. The man crossed the street as well.

The two women passed an alley that cut through to the next street. Ran pulled Sonoko into the alley. They were almost to the other side when a large, muscular man and two smaller men blocked their path. A street lamp near the alley's mouth gave the women enough light to get a good look at the three men. They all had pointed ears and long claw-like finger nails. The man in the center was over two meters tall and had very broad shoulders. The men on either side of him were average height and slender.

"Look what we have here," the man on the right said. "Two tasty looking dishes."

Ran put all her strength in a kick that hit the larger man in the stomach. The man only smiled wickedly even though her kick was strong enough to break cinder blocks.

Ran and Sonoko turned to run, but the man that had been walking down the street was behind them blocking their path. A long blade grew out from each of his forearms.

"I'll take the one with the legs," the larger man said. "The rest of you can have the blondie."

Ran kicked and punched at the giant, but he blocked her with little effort. Sonoko was screaming as her three attackers grabbed hold of her.

* * *

On the roof above the alley, Ichigo, Rukia, and Toshiro drew their zanpakutos. Ichigo's was a sword almost as long as he was tall with no hand guard. Rukia's looked like a normal katana, but its blade, guard, and hilt were snow white. Toshiro's also resembled a normal katana except that his guard was shaped like a four pointed star and his handle was light blue.

"So what's the plan?" Rook asked as he walked up next to them.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded.

"Just someone who's passing through," Rook said.

"This has nothing to do with you," Toshiro said.

The three Soul Reapers jumped down off of the building. Each of them targeted one of the attackers. Rook jumped down after them. The large man let go of Ran and stepped backwards as Ichigo landed between them. Rook knocked the man with the arm blades down with an ax kick as he landed. Rukia and Toshiro landed gracefully and cut down the two remaining attackers with a single strike.

Ichigo blocked a punch from the giant with the flat of his massive sword and immediately followed through with a swing at the attacker. The two of them traded blows back and forth, but Ichigo quickly gained the upper hand and killed the giant.

Three of the attackers were dead. Only the man with the arm blades remained, but he was wounded. Before he could get up, Rook knelt on his back, pinning him to the ground, and twisted his arm.

"I think that you owe the ladies here an apology," Rook said.

"S-sorry," the man stuttered.

The man twisted under Rook, knocking him off, then sprung to his feet and ran out of the alley.

"Catch him, don't let him get away," Ichigo shouted.

"Wait, he could lead us to the others," Toshiro said.

"Others?" Rook asked intrigued.

"The Soul Society has detected several more of those creatures around the area," Toshiro explained.

"We need to hurry before he gets too far away to track him," Rukia said.

Rukia, Toshiro, and Ichigo jumped up to the roof and were gone. Before Rook could try to catch up, Ran and Sonoko approached him.

"You were the man that the police were questioning about the killing of the girl," Ran said.

"Yeah," Rook said.

"What are you doing here?" Ran asked.

"I don't like being accused of things I didn't do, so I decided to find the killer and make them pay. I should thank you two for luring them out, now I know what they look like."

"Those were the serial killers!" exclaimed Ran. "You mean there is more than one?"

"Yeah, it seems that way."

"Why did you let that man escape? We need to call the police!" Sonoko exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter; he's not going to get away. Now, we should get you home."

Rook walked Ran and Sonoko all the way back to Ran's home. Sonoko had finally stopped crying by the time they arrived.

"Next time you talk to Shinichi, have him give me a call. I want to talk to him about this case," Rook said as he handed Ran a card with his cell number.

Ran and Sonoko went upstairs and found Kogoro sitting in the living room with a tower of empty beer cans on the table in front of him. Sonoko went over to the telephone as soon as they were inside.

"Where have you been?" Kogoro asked with a drunken slur. "I've been waiting for dinner for hours."

"We were almost killed!" Ran exclaimed.

"What?" Kogoro shouted as he jumped to his feet, knocking over the empty cans in the process and falling back down. "Was it the serial killer? The World Famous Detective Kogoro Mori will catch him right away!"

"The American from the other day rescued us from the killers," Ran said.

"Killers?" Conan asked as he came into the room.

"Yes, there were four of them," Ran said.

"The police are on their way here," Sonoko said as she hung up the phone.

Inspector Megure arrived a few minutes later with Officer Sato and Inspector Shiratori. Ran and Sonoko described the incident in the alley and the four attackers. After taking their statements and asking several questions, the police left.

While Kogoro walked Inspector Megure outside, Conan stayed with Ran.

"What's wrong, Ran? What didn't you tell the police?" Conan asked.

Ran hesitated for a minute before answering. "I'm the captain of the school's karate team and somehow my hits had no effect on him. I've never felt so weak before. Those killers were like demons."

"You're safe now, Ran. The police now have a lead on them and they'll catch the killers soon," Conan said, hoping it was true.

* * *

A tall, muscular, middle aged man with short blue hair and a scar in the center of his forehead walked into the warehouse. Doku and two other yokai with spider tattoos on their arms saw him and got in his way.

"What are you doing here old man?" one of the yokai asked. "This is Spider Demon clan's territory."

The man ignored the three yokai and walked past them. One of the yokai pushed him back.

"Didn't you just hear what Byakko said? If you want to come in, you need to show us your spider tattoo."

The blue haired man reached up and a giant ax suddenly appeared in his hand. With a single swing he cut the yokai that had pushed him in half.

"Whoa, wait a second! You're Bui, aren't you?" Doku asked. "You were on Togoro's team in the last Dark Tournament."

"Didn't he lose against that pipsqueak?" the other yokai asked.

"I am," the man said as he rested the ax on his shoulder.

"I'm Doku and this is Byakko. Welcome to the territory of the Spider Demon Clan."

"When does the battle begin?" Bui asked.

"Two days from now the yokai nation will be born in fire and blood," Byakko said.


	6. Chapter 6

After the police left and Ran finally went to sleep, Conan snuck out of the apartment and went to the payphone across the street. He had heard Ran mention that the American wanted to talk to Shinichi, his former, older self and that left him intrigued.

"Mister Rook," Conan said over the phone using his voice changer to sound like his original older self. "I heard that you were looking for me."

"I've heard your name around. They say that you're a pretty good detective," Rook said. "I could use the help of one right now."

"There are lots of detectives in the city. I heard that you're already acquainted with Kogoro Mori."

"He's not really what I was looking for. I want to work with someone who's competent."

"What do you need a detective for, Mister Rook?"

"I want to solve this serial killer case."

"I heard that the police already have a description of the killers."

"I have a feeling that it's a lot more complicated than the police think. I'm not sure that the killers are human. They might be some sort of demon or something."

"What makes you think that? The killings are brutal, but humans have shown that level of brutality before."

"It's not that. I saw them close up. Their appearance, they're strength, they just seemed inhuman to me."

"You saved Ran's life, so I agreed to contact you. But what you are talking about is nonsense. The only monsters that are on the streets are human beings. There is no such thing as demons, vampires, ghosts, or anything else like that."

"I'm surprised that you have such a closed mind. I would think that a teenager who is now trapped in the body of a child and has to use a voice changer to use his real voice would be more open minded to the possibility that the world is not always what it seems."

Conan almost dropped the phone. He quickly looked outside the phone booth to see if he was watched by anyone, but the streets were empty.

"What makes you think that I'm a child using a voice changer?"

"Two reasons. First, I can see you right now. You look a little nervous. Second, I saw you use the bow tie to change your voice the other day in the apartment."

"Where are you?" Conan demanded.

"Look up."

Conan looked up and saw Rook standing on top of the building that the phone booth was in front of. Rook grabbed a rope and repelled down the building. Conan stepped out of the phone booth.

"Isn't it dangerous for a little kid to be out all alone in the middle of the night?" Rook asked. "And won't Ran and Korogo wonder where you disappeared to?"

"What are you doing here? It's awfully suspicious that you were at the scene of one of the killings and then there when Ran was attacked and now you are spying on us."

"What can I say, it's a small world. Besides, I could care less what you guys do; I just keeping an eye out for another demon."

"You keep saying demons, what are you talking about."

"I fought those killers, they are not human. I need your help to prove it. Most importantly, I want to find where they are hiding."

"Ran said that there were four of them. They could have hid almost anywhere in this city. It will take time, but the police will most certainly find them."

"It's not just four. I have reason to believe that there are a lot more."

"How many more?"

"I'm not sure. Some other people are also hunting these demons and they said that there were a lot more. They were following one to see if it would lead them to their hide out. I figure that the more people looking for them, the better chances we have of finding them."

"How do you know that they are demons and not people in masks?" Conan asked.

"Actually I don't know for sure, but that is what they seemed like. The lady from the STN-J also said that the killer wasn't human."

"What do you know about the STN-J?" Conan asked.

"Actually, nothing. I was hoping that you might know something. Is there some place that we can go to exchange notes?"

"Sure. Follow me."

Conan walked down the empty street towards the house of Professor Hiroshi Agasa. Rook followed behind him.

"Do you seriously believe that these killers are monsters?" Conan asked.

"Yes."

"Ran said that she hit one of them and it shook it off. She can break stone and bend metal with her blows."

"I'm used to fighting monsters. She's probably really good for a human, but to fight monsters like these, you need to take things up another level."

Finally the two companions reached Professor Agasa's house. The windows were dark, but Conan knocked loudly. A light came on upstairs and Conan knocked again. After a moment the downstairs lights came on and a portly gray haired man with a thick mustache opened the door. He rubbed his eyes and then saw Conan standing there.

"Shinichi, what are you doing here?" Professor Agasa asked. Then he saw Rook standing at behind Conan and looked startled.

"Don't worry, he's already figured it out," Conan said. "This is Amadeus Rook; he's an American has has taken an interest the serial killings."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Professor Agasa-sama," Rook said.

"We came to discuss the murders," Conan said. "Can we come in?"

"Sure, come inside," Professor Agasa said.

Professor Agasa showed Conan and Rook inside to the living room. Conan sat down in one of the chairs and Rook followed his example. There was a desk on one side of the room that was covered in books and papers. A door on one side of the room probably led to a kitchen. On the other side of the room as a staircase going up to the second floor that a young brown haired girl was descending while wiping sleep from her eyes.

"What's going on?" the girl asked.

"Good evening Ai, we just came over to talk with the Professor," Conan said.

"At this hour?" the girl asked suspiciously. "What case are you working on?"

"The serial killer case," Conan said. "Professor, did you find any information on the STN-J?"

"I started looking for information when you called yesterday, but I only found a little bit," Agasa said as he ruffled through a stack of papers. "The STN-J is a secret police force that hunts down select individuals. They can take over any investigation from the regular police if they think it falls into their jurisdiction. I couldn't find out anything else though."

"Yesterday we learned that one of the members is named Amon," Rook said.

"There were four members of the STN-J that showed up at the crime scene yesterday," Conan said. "There were two men and two women. One of the women was still a teenager. Three of them had a vial of green liquid hanging around their neck. The teenage girl didn't."

"One of the women touched the corpses and talked about seeing the killing as if she possessed psychometry," Rook added.

"If the killers really are some sort of demon then we could have a problem. The frequency of the killing has increased. That could mean that the number of demons is increasing. However, I still find it hard to believe that they are demons. It could just be that the killers are getting more eager. Serial killers have a compulsion to kill. That compulsion is satisfied less and less with each killing and the cooling off period gets shorter and shorter. A group of serial killers with a fixed number would also explain the increase in murders."

Conan, Rook, and Professor Agasa talked for a long time about the many killings over the last month. Rook told them about the attempted killing in the alley and described the four attackers in detail. Ai participated very little in the conversation, but seemed to listen intently to what everyone was saying. Finally, they finished their discussion and Rook left. Conan stayed behind with the professor.

"Did you find anything on him?" Conan asked after Rook was gone.

"I couldn't find anything on him," Professor Agasa said. "It's as if he doesn't exist."

"Why the interest in him?" Ai asked. "I thought that he wasn't the killer."

"He isn't, but he is hiding something and I want to know what it is."


	7. Chapter 7

Ichigo yawned as he walked inside the high school. He had been up all night chasing after the attacker before it finally gave them the slip. They were still no closer to finding out what those beings were or where they were hiding. The sensor that Rukia had for tracking hollows only showed the mysterious creatures when they were ready to attack.

Chad, the tall teenager of Mexican descent, and Uryu, the black haired bespectacled teenager, were suddenly walking next to Ichigo.

"Hi," Chad said. Chad was surprisingly milder than you would expect from someone of his size.

"You look tired," Uryu added. Uryu on the other hand was just as serious as he looked.

"Yeah, I was up all night playing soul reaper," Ichigo said.

Uryu pushed his glasses up his nose. "Does it have anything to do with the unusual spirit energy that I've been sensing in the area?"

"There are some mysterious creatures in the city," Ichigo confirmed. "Rukia, Toshiro, and I were chasing after one, but we lost it."

"Why didn't you tell us, we could have helped," Uryu asked.

"Rukia just showed up yesterday and told me to come along. I didn't have time to find you guys. We're going hunting again tonight if you want to join us."

"We'll be there. Right, Chad?"

"Right," Chad said.

* * *

Steph stood in front of her class with a new student, a pink haired girl dressed in a boy's uniform.

"Hello, I am Tenjo Utena," the girl said to the class in accented English.

"Welcome, Tenjo," Steph said.

"Excuse me teacher," Hiraki said raising her hand. "Her first name is Utena. In Japan we say our family name first."

"I see. Okay, welcome, Utena. There is a desk free in the back you can have."

Utena sat down in the back next to a day dreaming boy with thick black hair that the other students called the Daylight Lantern. Steph passed out packets of papers to the front row who passed them back.

"Today we're going to go over a chapter from an awesome new book," Steph explained. "As we read this, please pay attention to the sentence structure. We will go around the room reading it out loud."

Steph has the students take turns reading a section of the text. It was a new bestselling teen novel about a football player who fell in love with a ghost from the Civil War that was haunting his high school. Some of the students were able to do their readings, while others struggled with the pronunciation of the words.

One of the students raised her hand to ask a question.

"Petra-sensei, why does the verb to be change so much and how do you know when to use the correct form?"

Steph had to stop and think about it, she had never considered it before.

"I don't know why it changes," Steph said. "You just need to memorize it. I am, you are, he is, we are, and they are."

"What about the past participle?" another student asked.

"Past participle?" Steph asked.

Steph had never heard that term before. She picked up the text book and looked for an answer.

"If you will turn to page 352 in your text books, you can find the answer," Steph said. "The past participle of to be is been. I have been, you have been, he has been, we have been, they have been."

"Why does the third person form change to has?" another student asked.

"It just does," Steph replied. "You just have to memorize these little things. That's how we learn English back home."

Steph struggled through the rest of the day. Not being able to speak Japanese made things difficult, not just on her but also on the students. She could tell that several of them were just zoned out during class, but she could not ask them anything since their understanding of English was too limited.

* * *

Emma walked with Steph to the bus station early in the morning. While Steph went off to teach at the high school, Emma thought about where she was going to find three nice guys for that night. As she was walking away from the station deep in thought, she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quickly.

"It's all right," the man said.

Emma looked up and saw a slender young man with long red hair wearing a suit.

"This might be a little forward, but are you busy tonight?" Emma asked.

"I don't have any plans at the moment, what do you have in mind?" the man replied.

"Some friends of mine and I are having a party to celebrate one of them getting a new job and we are looking for some guys to help us celebrate."

The man smiled. "I am not the type to go out with people whose names I don't know."

"I'm sorry. My name's Emma."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Emma. I am Shuichi Minamino. I would love to join you and your friends tonight. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to the office."

Emma quickly gave him the name of the hotel and the time of the party and then watched him walk out of the station. He was a rather attractive man. She had found her date. Now she needed two more men for Brandy and Steph.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask threw several roses that streaked through the air and pinned down a yokai that had been about to attack a group of school girls that were on their way home from school. Ever since he first heard about the serial killer, he had been watching over Usagi Tsukino, one of the girls in the group. He had recently discovered that there was more than one kill and they were not human. In fact, over the last few days, he had spotted more and more of them.

A shadow passed over him. He looked up and saw a winged yokai about to dive at him. He summoned another rose and prepared to block the attack. A red haired young woman appeared between them and punched the yokai hard enough to send it crashing into a roof top. Tuxedo mask threw his rose at the yokai to finish it off. The red haired woman turned to him.

"Hi. You seem like a nice guy. And you dress rather well," the woman said, indicating his tuxedo and top hat. "My friends and I are in town for a few days and we wanted to celebrate one of my friends getting a job. I was wondering if you wanted to join us."

"Since you just saved me from one of those creatures, it would be bad form to say no," Tuxedo Mask said. "When is this celebration?"

"You can come by to pick us up tomorrow night," Emma said and told him the hotel they were staying at. "See you there."

Emma flew off, leaving the man in the tuxedo with a top hat and white mask behind. She was running out of time and needed to find one more person for the party. Not knowing where else to look, she headed back to the hotel. Maybe she could find someone in the hotel lobby.


	8. Chapter 8

The white haired teenage boy Near crouched on the floor in the middle of the room in front of an eight monitor computer system. He was dressed in long sleeve white pajamas. A massive house of cards was set up all over the room. He was finally piecing together all the information that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police had given him into a coherent picture; however it was not one that he liked. He now needed a reliable assistant to see if what he was theorizing was true.

There was a name that he had seen a couple of times involving the crime scenes, Conan Edogawa. A search of that name brought up several other police reports. He was frequently called in to report crimes and several officers seemed to think highly of him. As he continued searching he found even more information that convinced him that Conan might be the perfect assistant. Near picked up a cellphone and called him.

"Hello," the voice of a young boy said.

"Is this Conan Edogawa?" Near asked.

"Yes."

"I am L. I have deduced that you are also the famous high school detective Kudo Shinichi. Based on the fact that Conan Edogawa first appeared when Kudo Shinichi disappeared from public view along with the observation that Detective Mori became incredibly successful only after you started living with him, this indicates that you are more than you seem. However, I have yet to figure out how you were reverted to a child."

"That's just circumstantial evidence," Conan replied, trying to laugh off accusation.

"I am certain that you are familiar with my reputation."

"They say that you are the greatest detective in the world. Very well, I won't try to deny it. Why have you called me?"

"Because I have made a discovery in the serial killer case. Based on the locations and the frequency of the killings, I have determined that there are multiple groups around the city killing people in the same way. I have also determined that the groups are increasing in numbers and only a fraction of their members are committing the murders."

"Someone that I work with has also determined that there was a group of them and that they were not human," Conan said.

"That is something that I would like to find out first hand. I have determined that there will be an attack tonight around the Higashi district. You should go there tonight and find the killers before they can strike again."

"Shouldn't you inform the police about this?"

"If I flooded the district with police officers, the killers most likely wouldn't appear. I need someone that I can trust to keep an eye open for them and gather more information. Take the American, Amadeus Rook with you, according to the reports, he has survived an encounter with the killers already and you seem to have an existing relationship with him."

"How did you know that I've met with him?"

"The police reports indicate that he was brought to the scene of Sanada Naoko's death where you were helping Kogoro Mori. Then he showed up again saving Ran Mori from her attackers. I have access to all of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's reports. When I saw the two of you together in two different reports, it stood to reason that you had met each other. Then both of you have made searches about the STN-J."

"I'll give him a call and check the Higashi district for you."

Near hung up the phone. If Conan was as competent as reports indicated, then he might get some new information and find out what was going on. The boy picked up a stack of cards and went back to work on his massive building.

Rook stopped at a small restaurant called Henry's for a late lunch. The restaurant looked like one of those upscale coffee shops. Behind the counter there was a large, round, decorative mirror. When Rook went inside, all of the tables were empty. The only person he saw was a thin man with brown hair dressed all in black behind the counter.

"Good afternoon, sir," the man said as Rook sat down at the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"Can I get a glass of water and something to eat," Rook thought for a second, but could not decide on what he wanted. "Surprise me."

While Rook was waiting for his food, a young woman in long black dress came into the restaurant and sat down at the counter. Rook recognized the woman from the crime scene in the apartment.

"Hello Miss Robin," the man said.

"Hello Yuji," Robin said.

Yuji came back with a crystal glass of water and a bowl of ramen for Rook. He also placed a china tea cup with a saucer and a bowl of miso soup in front of Robin.

"Thank you," both Robin and Rook said when Yuji put the food in front of them.

"You work with Amon, don't you?" Rook asked Robin as he tasted his ramen. "This is very good, Yuji."

She looked startled.

"I saw the two of you at that apartment a couple days ago," Rook said. "You were investigating the murders. Do you guys have any clues?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it," Robin said.

"No problem, I understand," Rook said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why is someone as young as you working for the STN-J?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about that either," Robin said.

Rook noticed that he was making her very uncomfortable. Suddenly Robin's pocket started beeping. She reached in and pulled out a radio.

"Yes," she said into the phone. "I'll be right there." Robin hung up and put the phone back in her pocket. "I'm sorry Yuji, I have to go."

Robin got up and left the restaurant. Yuji took her dishes and wiped down the part of the counter with effortless speed and grace that only comes from years of experience.

"So, Yuji, what can you tell me about the STN-J?" Rook asked.

"I've never heard of them," Yuji said as he polished a glass.

"What about Robin, do you know anything about her?"

"She did not appear to want to tell you anything. I think I should respect her wishes."

"Understandable," Rook said as he finished his food. "On a different note, do you know of any exorcists?"

"There is one that comes to mind. A young priest at the Stella Cross Church in Kamakura. I believe his name is Takara. I seem to remember hearing that he's performed quite a few exorcisms."

Rook got up and paid for his food. "Thanks for the food. It was delicious."

Rook left the restaurant and walked down the street until he found a shop selling cell phones. Since he was in Japan where they had the latest in electronics he bought a cutting edge slim red phone. Checking his watch, he decided that he had plenty of time to head to Kamakura.

As Rook was walking back to the hotel, he dialed Conan's number. The young boy answered after only two rings.

"Have you heard of an exorcist named Takara in Kamakura?" Rook asked.

"I've heard the name before, but I've never met him. Why?"

"I'm about to head down there to see him. If he's a good exorcist, then he might be able to help us against the killers."

"I was actually about to call you. I was just informed that there is a possibility that the killers will strike in Higashi. A detective named L has determined a pattern. He wants us to go there and find the killers."

Rook looked up as a group of people jumped from building to building with some sort of roller blades.

"Just the two of us covering an entire district? It might be tough, but I think I can find a few more people. I'll meet you at the bus station."

Rook hung up. It would be best to get to Higashi early and get a look at the area before trying to track down the creatures. He would have to visit Kamakura tomorrow.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when three yokai with wolf-like claws and tails dressed all in black walked up to the front of a massive catholic cathedral next to a traditional Japanese manor in Kamakura. The name on the gate around the complex said it was the Stella Cross Church. Gyokumen Koushou had instructed them that the residents of this chapel were a threat to the future Yokai Nation. Ryura, the leader of the three, kicked in the door. The wooden door splintered under the force of his kick.

The inside of the chapel was empty. The three wolf demons sniffed the air as they walked down the aisle between the pews towards the altar. There were three distinct scents coming from the manor next to the chapel. They went through the side door of the chapel and started towards the manor.

The manor's door opened and a young man in flowing black priest's robes with a golden crucifix on a long chain around his neck stepped outside.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the young man asked in a voice void of emotions.

The three wolf demons spread out in an attempt to encircle him. One of the three charged in. The young man clasped both hands together and batted him aside with a powerful blow. Another yokai came at him from behind, but the young man jumped up in to the air and landed on the roof of the manor.

"It is obvious now that you are some sort of demons," the young man said. "I don't know why you came here, but I will send you three back to Hell."

"I am Ryura of the Wolf Demon tribe. We have been chosen to eliminate anyone standing in the way of our Yokai Nation and that is you."

"You were foolish to come here with just three demons. I am Takara Amakusa, exorcist."

Takara crossed himself and a small cross emerged from his forehead leaving a cross shaped bruise. The cross was engulfed in a ball of light as it flew from Takara's hand and cut through two of the wolf demons. Ryura dodged the glowing cross and fled from the manor.

The cross returned to Takara's hand and he put it back into his forehead before running after Ryura. The wolf demon's legs carried him faster than Takara's. The priest soon gave up pursuit and returned to the church. Usually he was the one hunting the demons, not the other way around. He would have to be on his guard.


	9. Chapter 9

Ichigo stood with Rukia and Toshiro on a roof top. The sun was setting over the Karakura Town. All three of them turned as they felt a powerful spiritual presence behind them. Another shinigami was standing there. He was tall, with long red hair. A maroon headband covered his tattooed forehead.

"You all look pathetic just standing around here. Don't worry, Renji is here to save your butts now."

"What are you doing here, Renji?" Rukia asked.

"After your report, the captain-commander decided you might need some more help. Why are you all sitting around here if there are tons of those creatures here?"

"They appear to be laying low," Toshiro said. "We've scouted this district and found nothing. We were about to split up and check the neighboring districts. Everyone pick a direction and if you find their hideout, contact the rest of us with tenteikura."

The four shinigami jumped off the building and went in different directions in search of their prey.

Ichigo headed north and was a good distance away when he realized that he did not know any kido and could not cast the tenteikura bakudo. If he found anyone, he would have to find some other way to contact the others.

* * *

Rook was already waiting at the bus station in Higashi when Conan got off the bus in the middle of the afternoon. Rook tossed Conan a sports bag.

"What's this?" Conan asked.

"It's how we're going to find our help. Have you heard of air treks?"

"Yeah, I've seen commercials for them on TV."

"I'm pretty good with a pair of these. There is a team here that is supposed to be pretty good, too."

"How do we find them?"

"We lure them out."

Rook put on his motorized roller blades and Conan did the same. They skated around the district, slowly at first so that Conan could get comfortable with them and then faster. As they traveled around the area, Rook slapped blank stickers over top of crow shaped stickers that were all over the place.

Rook skated up the side of a building and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Conan followed him on the sidewalks.

A group of five teenage boys and one girl jumped to the rooftop Rook was on and flanked him. Rook jumped to another rooftop and stopped. The five boys jumped to that building and surrounded him. Rook took a good look at the group facing him. All six wore identical black leather jackets. The central boy was tall, slim, and had unruly black hair. The boy next to him was slightly shorter with light colored hair under a knit cap. The two boys on either side of Rook were complete opposites. The first was short and fat with standing on his head, with his head in an air trek. The other was tall and fat with dark skin. The boy behind Rook was younger and smaller than the rest with an eye patch over one eye. The only woman in the group had long red hair tied up in two ponytails.

"I take it that you guys are Kogarasumaru," Rook said.

"We are and this is our turf," the lead boy said. "You challenged us?"

"Actually, I'm here to recruit you. The stickers were just to draw you out," Rook said.

The lead boy laughed loudly.

"And why would we want to join you?" the boy asked.

"We just need a favor; I'll let my associate explain."

Conan was just stepping off of the fire escape onto the roof.

"I assume that you have heard of the serial killer," Conan said. "We think that he is going to strike here in Higishi tonight and we want to catch him."

"I figured that since this is your turf, we should contact you. Besides, you know the place better than we do," Rook added.

After some talking, Ikki, the lead boy, agreed to help. The sun was starting to set, so the group split up to watch different places. Everyone one had radios to keep in touch if they found anything.

"I have something," Kazu said near midnight. "Three men wearing matching bandanas follow a couple."

"I see them," Conan said. "There are two more coming from another direction."

"I'm on it," Rook said.

Rook raced from rooftop to rooftop over to where Kazu and Conan were keeping watch. He could see against the skyline that the others were coming as well. Rook arrived just as the five men surrounded the couple. Claws and flames appeared on the men's hands. Rook skated down the side of the building and circled around the couple, forcing the men back. Ikki, Agito, Buccha and Ringo appeared in the mouth of the alley.

"Five on five?" Rook said. "This shouldn't take long."

"Kazu, get the couple out of here," Ikki said.

Agito skated up a wall and lashed out with straps hanging from his pants. The straps hooked onto one of the yokai and Agito carried him up into the air only to drop him from the top of the building.

The fire handed yokai shot a stream of flames at the five skaters. All of them managed to avoid the flames. Ringo created whips of wind from her air treks and used them to attack the yokai. The whips cut the flame thrower several times and he fell to the ground.

Ikki gathered the wind in the palm of his hand creating a small tornado; he then kicked the tornado at a yokai that was charging toward him. The force of the winds knocked the yokai back into a wall.

Rook used the speed of the air treks to power a round house kick that knocked one of the yokai into its companion.

Kazu escorted the couple away and then created a wall of fire with his air treks to stop any of the yokai from following.

The surviving pair of yokai tried to flee, however the massive Buccha blocked their escape. A blade grew from one of the yokai's arms. Buchha's stomach shrank and his arms grew as he redistributed the blood in his body. He then beat that yokai into the ground. Agito kicked the air and his fang, a blade of wind, flew through the air and sliced the other one.

One bloody yokai hid behind a dumpster. Rook and Ikki skated up to him.

"Should we finish him off?" Ikki asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"No, I have a better idea," Rook said and turned to the yokai. "Take a message to your boss. Tell him that if you want to survive, then run. Flee this city. If you keep killing people then we'll hunt you down and destroy you."

Ikki and Rook backed away from the yokai and he ran out of the alley.

"You guys are pretty good. If I didn't have a team back home, I might just try to recruit you," Rook said.

"You're not that bad yourself," Ikki said. "You're almost good enough to join Kogarasumaru."

Rook and Ikki swung at each other and locked elbows. Then they parted ways. Rook and Conan headed back towards the station. One the way, Conan called L.

"You were right," Conan said. "A group of five tried to attack a couple, but we stopped them. I got a good look at them. They were definitely not human."

"I see. A group of five? Then if my estimates are correct, they are hundreds of these people spread out across the city. But for what purpose?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I got a good look at them. They are not human. They appeared to have some supernatural powers."

As Conan talked on the phone, Rook used his ATs to scale the wall of the building. On top he found another one of the sword-wielding people in black kimonos. This one was tall, taller than him if he had not been wearing the ATs, and had long red hair.

"So there is another one of you guys wandering around," Rook said.

"Who are you?" Renji demanded.

"My name's Rook. I'm just a tourist here. Sorry for not leaving any of those killers for you, I didn't see you up there until it was over."

Rook gave a mock salute and then skated back down the building to Conan.

* * *

Ryura knelt before Gyokumen Koushou in her current base of operations. Naraku was at her side as always since she had recruited him dressed in his baboon pelt.

"So you are saying that you returned here without killing the priests?" Gyokumen asked. "They have the power to destroy us."

"I am sorry, Lady Gyokumen. One of them surprised us and killed two of my men. If you give me a second chance, I will not fail you again."

"It seems the wolf demon tribe is not as powerful as it was since the days of Koga," Naraku said.

"I will not give you another chance to fail me," Gyokumen said. "I will send in a more capable hunter, maybe Souten of the Thunder Demon tribe. Naraku, this one is yours."

"Thank you Lady Gyokumen," Naraku said.

Naraku pointed his hand at Ryura. Tentacles shot out and wrapped around Ryura. Ryura shouted, but they were quickly muffled as the tentacles engulfed him. Naraku pulled the wolf demon's body into his own. He felt the wolf demon's strong leg muscles and enhanced senses flow into his body.

Souten walked into the room and knelt down in front of Gyokumen. She was a tall, strong, demon with long black hair and dressed in elaborate black and red armor with a yellow sash around her waist. Her blood red eyes and pointed ears marked her yokai heritage. She was followed by five other yokai.

"Souten, there are three people with great spiritual power that I need killed. If you succeed in this assignment, you will be greatly rewarded."

"I will not fail you, Lady Gyokumen," Souten said.

"If I may, Lady Gyokumen. I have one that I would like to add to this group," Naraku said.

Another yokai entered the room behind Naraku. It was slightly taller than Naraku and had horns on the sides of its head. Its body was lean with well-defined muscles.

"This is Kagewaki," Naraku said.

"Very well," Gyokumen said. "Souten, take him with your group."


	10. Chapter 10

Rook walked up the street from the train station to the gate of the Stella Cross Church in Kamakura. He walked into the cathedral and looked around. It was just like all the other Catholic churches he had been to. He passed by the cistern of holy water without dipping his fingers and crossing himself. He saw a man in priest's robes at the front of the chapel. The man appeared to be half-Caucasian and half-Japanese.

"Excuse me, sir," Rook said after he made his way there.

"How can I help you, my son?" the priest asked.

"Are you the exorcist Takara?"

"I'm afraid that Takara is at school right now," the priest said. "I am Father Gerardo and I am also an exorcist."

"Maybe you can help me then. I have a demon problem and I was told that Takara was the person to talk to."

"Tell me about this demon problem."

"I'm sure that you heard about the serial murders that have been going on. I believe that they were not done by people, but by demons."

"I understand that the crimes themselves were very brutal, but what makes you think that they were committed by demons?"

"I met the killers and they weren't human."

"He's right," a voice said from the entrance to the church. "They weren't human. They weren't demons either, not in the Christian sense. Yokai would be the correct term. They are supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore that are sometimes considered demons, but they live in this realm."

Rook turned around and saw a young man in a suit and tie. Based on his young age and clothing, Rook guessed that he went to some private high school. He also guessed that most girls thought he was very attractive. Following behind the young man was a slightly older woman dressed in a blouse and a long skirt. He had no doubt that men found her to be extremely attractive, he did.

"This is Takara," Father Gerardo said, motioning to the young man.

"You're the exorcist Amakusa Takara?" Rook asked.

"I am," Takara replied.

"I wish I grew up in Japan. Everyone here is either world famous or a superhero before they graduate high school. Anyways, you know about these yokai?"

"I had an encounter with them last night. They were here to kill me and possibly my father and Shizuha as well. What do you know about them?"

"Not much. Just that there are a lot of them and they are killing people. I'm trying to find out all I can about them."

"Then let us question the yokai themselves. Father, Shizuha, get back," Takara said.

The priest and the woman moved to the front of the chapel. Takara and Rook turned and looked at the door to the cathedral. A moment later Souten entered carrying a spear shaped like a lightning bolt. She was followed by the five other yokai. The yokai spread out as they entered.

"Hi," Rook said as he took a step forward. "Would you mind satisfying a tourist's curiosity and tell me what you guys are up to?"

"I do not trifle with inferiors being like you," Souten said sharply. Then she turned to the other yokai, "Kill them. They are all that stands in the way of our yokai nation. We are running out of time."

Rook took the haversack from his shoulder and put it down on one of the pews, then he drew his fan from his jacket pocket. Meanwhile Takara crossed himself to summon his cross.

"That's not very nice," Rook said as the yokai started to approach. "You don't have to kill us over a simple question."

Two yokai attacked from each side while Souten and Kagewaki stayed back. Takara hurled his glowing cross at the two yokai coming at him. The ball of light burned through one of them, but the other managed to dodge it. Takara jumped back as his massive fist slammed into the ground. As soon as he landed, Takara made the sign of the cross in the air at the yokai and burned him. The yokai roared with pain and staggered backwards. The small cross circled around burst through the yokai's chest.

A catlike yokai with stripes on her cheeks slashed at Rook with long, sharp claws. Rook deflected the claws with his fan, then executed three kicks in rapid succession. The catlike yokai went tumbling backwards. Rook pivoted to the side just as a reptile looking yokai snapped at him with a large mouth full of dagger-like teeth. Rook jabbed the tip of the fan into its throat, crushing its windpipe.

Takara and Rook looked at each other to make sure the other was all right and then they turned to face Souten. Souten charged forward. Lightning crackled around her spear. The two men jumped back and the spear hit the stone floor where they had been standing shattering the stone.

Rook drew his spear and charged forward, but Souten deflected all of his blows. Rook jumped back as Takara's cross went flying at Souten. Souten blocked the cross with her spear. Energy crackled between the two items as they pushed against each other. Sweat started to bead on both Souten's and Takara's foreheads as they struggled to gain the upper hand. The energy building up between the cross and the spear finally exploded, throwing Souten back. The cross returned to Takara's hand as Takara dropped to one knee exhausted from using so much spiritual power.

Sudden another yokai appeared behind Takara. He stabbed at Takara with one hand. Takara spun around and tried to deflect the attack, but he was too slow. The yokai's fingers pierced his shoulder. Rook's spear came down and sliced off the yokai's arm. The yokai howled in pain and ran from the church.

Takara's skin went pale and he grabbed the wound on his shoulder. Sweat rolled down his face and mixed with the blood pouring out of his wound. His body fell limply to the floor.

Father Gerardo and Shizuha rushed over to him.

"I think he's been poisoned," Father Gerardo said.

"You just stay there Souten. I'll deal with you in a minute," Rook said as he knelt next to Takara's body.

Rook took a deep breath and put his hands on Takara's head and gave him a blessing that his wounds would be healed. "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, amen."

Color returned to Takara's face and the wound was no longer there. He opened his eyes and Rook helped him to his feet.

"What are you?" Father Gerardo asked.

"Let's talk about that later," Rook said. "Are you ready to finish this, Takara?"

"Yes," Takara said weakly but determined as he took a step on his own.

The small cross started glowing in Takara's hand and Takara threw it at Souten. Souten summoned a giant ball of lightning and throw it at Takara and Rook. The cross passed through the ball of lightning and hit Souten. Takara grabbed Shizuha while Rook grabbed Father Gerardo and they jumped out of the path of the lightning. The ball of lightning exploded against the altar at the front of the chapel.

Once the light and smoke from the explosion faded, there were no signs of Souten or the other demon that had stood there watching the entire fight. Takara found his cross lying on the ground near where Souten had last stood. The altar at the front o the chapel was destroyed and everything around it was scorched.

"Did you get him?" Shizuha asked.

"No, he escaped," Takara said. "Thank you for your help Father Rook."

"It's not father, I'm not a Catholic priest."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm just a servant of the Lord. It was a pleasure to meet you Takara-chan"

Takara glared at Rook for his lack of respect, but his father spoke up before he could do anything more.

"What are you going to do now?" Father Gerardo asked.

"It sounded like the yokai are planning on forming their own nation," Rook said. "Since they were trying to kill you to stop you from getting in their way, I guess they will be forming this nation the old fashion way, through violence. In which case, I'm going to stop them. Takara, I suggest you stay here in case they come back. It was a pleasure to meet you all. Next time I'm in town, I'll see if I can stop in for mass."

Rook put his fan back in his jacket and picked up his chess case. He started to walk towards the door, but Father Gerardo stopped him.

"As an exorcist, I understand the need to battle evil," Father Gerardo said. "But to fight so eagerly? You claim to be a servant of God, so you must know what Christ said to Saint Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane."

"He who lives by the sword will die by the sword," Rook said. "I know. But it does not say not to fight; it just says that it has consequences. I've chosen my path knowing where it will end."

"May the Lord protect you my son."

"And you," Rook said and walked out.

As soon as Rook was outside of the chapel he called Conan on his cell phone.

"Conan, the killers are yokai and they are planning on carving out their own nation here in Tokyo. I just ran into a handful of them in Kamakura. The way it sounds, there is an army already here. Where can they hide that many people?"

"They wouldn't hide them all in one place," Conan said. "Most likely they are split up into different cells and hiding all over the city. That way even if one cell was found, the others would still be safe. That explains why the killings are spread out throughout the city."

"Great. So we have a dozen needles in a hundred haystacks. They will probably be making a move soon. Maybe even tonight. They said that they were running out of time. Stay inside and lock your doors. Whatever you do don't go out."

"Too late. Kogoro dragged Ran and me to a Yoko Okino concert."

"A concert? How big of a concert?"

"Haven't you heard of Yoko Okino? She's the biggest singer in Japan right now. This concert is packed. Oh no! You don't think they will attack here."

"Lots of humans in one place would be a major target if I were them. I'm on my way."

* * *

The now one armed yokai had fled out of the back of the church after his near fatal ambush of the young priest. Even though he lost an arm, he was certain that Gyokumen would reward him for killing the human. He turned a corner and found himself face to face with Kagewaki.

"It seems like the priest survived the famed venom of the scorpion demons," Kagewaki said.

"Impossible, no one has ever survived our stings."

"Even so, the priest lives. You and Souten have failed. That means you're food."

"Wait, what about you? You didn't even lift a finger to fight."

"I don't work for Gyokumen. My only master is Naraku."

The scorpion demon turned to run, but before he got a more than a few steps Kagewaki caught him. Kagewaki's mouth grew large enough to swallow the scorpion demon whole.


	11. Chapter 11

One of Near's agents, dressed in a black trench coat and fedora that was pulled low to hide his face, stood in front of the superintendent's desk in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters. The agent held a laptop in his hands. On the screen was a large, fancy, black L. Near's voice, distorted to hide his identity, spoke through the computer.

"Superintendent Matsumoto, you must mobilize your men and evacuate the downtown area."

The stern, brutish Matsumoto scratched the scar running down his left check.

"I have heard your reputation, but I can't evacuate all of downtown Tokyo without something more to go on."

"I have deduced that the serial killer is in fact several groups of individuals with cells throughout the city. They have been gathering here for some time and are planning an assault tonight."

The superintendent thought about that for a moment. Then he gave the order to move as many men as were available to downtown Tokyo. He also issued an advisory for people to stay out of the area. However, it was too late for a full scale evacuation. The concert in Beika City was causing massive congestion.

* * *

Brandy, Emma, and Steph sat on the plush red sofa in the hotel lounge and waited for their dates. Earlier that day they had gone shopping for new clothing for the date. They found some new outfits at a shop downtown. Brandy wore a dark gray button up blouse with a shiny front and translucent sides and black slacks. Emma wore a light pink top that only went over one shoulder with a black bow around her waist and a black skirt. Steph had on a black sleeveless button up blouse and galaxy print skirt.

"So you really found us some dates?" Steph said.

"I had a lot of free time while you were in school," Emma said.

"Let's hope they're decent guys," Brandy said.

"They seemed nice when I met them."

The slender, red haired Shuichi was the first of the dates to arrive. He wore a simple white shirt and black slacks. Emma spotted him entering and waved him over to where they were seated and introduced him to Brandy and Steph.

A few minutes later, Yugi Mutou entered. He had spiked black hair with a fringe of crooked blond locks. He was tall and wore a dark jacket, slacks, and a buckle around his neck.

The well dressed Mamoru Chiba arrived last. Without his mask and top hat his black hair and youthful face were visible.

Brandy pulled Emma aside.

"Where did you find them?"

"Here and there."

The six of them chatted for a few minutes. Shuichi suggested that they go to the Yoko Okina concert in Beika City.

"Where are you guys taking us tonight?" Brandy asked.

"There is concert in Beika City," Shuichi suggested. "Yoko Okina is performing. I have a few tickets."

"That sounds like a good idea," Steph said.

"If you're providing the tickets, I'll take care of the drinks," Yugi said.

"In that case, I'll cover the transportation," Mamoru added.

As the group left the building, Emma flanked Shuichi. Mamoru paired himself with Brandy. Steph and Yugi brought up the rear.

* * *

Zakuro entered the warehouse where Bui and the spider clan were waiting. He moved so that his faux tattered sleeveless coat fluttered flamboyantly as he entered. He was followed by another yokai dressed in a long red coat. Everyone gathered around him as he entered. Some of the spider clan yokai looked like they were ready to attack him.

"It's time. Gyokumen's orders are to cleanse this city of the human filth," Zakuro announced.

"It's about time," Doku said. "I'm tired of waiting."

"You heard him," Byakko shouted. "You are free to do as you please in the city. Kill, burn, and destroy to your heart's content."

Dozens of demons ran out of the warehouse. Bui walked out calmly.

"What do you think, Gotenmaru?" Zakuro asked.

"Such fools," the yokai in the red coat said. "That they think they will have any position in the new nation but slaves to us is laughable."

"We should go and supervise our slaves' work," Zakuro said.

The two remaining yokai followed after the crowd.


	12. Chapter 12

Kurono was laying in bed in his one room apartment, not really watching the news that was playing on the television. His homework sat unfinished on his desk. He suddenly heard a beeping. Gantz was about to take him to the apartment. Kurono quickly jumped to his feet and put on his skin tight black battle suit that he had hidden under his bed. As soon as he finished putting it on, his body went stiff and he knew that the teleportation had begun. It started with the top of his head taking him away a millimeter at a time.

Soon he could see the inside of the unfurnished apartment where the black ball was. Three new people were in the room as well as Kato.

"I can see Tokyo tower from here," one of the new people said.

"All of you died recently," Kato began. "But instead of dying Gantz has brought you here to hunt aliens. If you do what we tell you, then you can go back to your homes once this is over."

After a moment, Kurono's whole body was in the room and someone else started to teleport in. Kurono recognized the psychic Sakurai. After Sakurai, the pop idol Reika, the middle schooler Nishi, the balding Suzuki, the coward Inaba, the muscular Kaze, and the child Takeshi were each teleported in one by one. All of them were veterans of these hunts. All of them were wearing similar black suits.

Exercise music started playing from the black ball and words appeared on its surface. "Your lives have ended. What you do with your new lives is entirely up to me. That's the theory, anyway."

The words disappeared and were replaced by a picture of man with long, pointed ears and red eyes under the name _Yokai Alien_. Next the picture it read:

_Characteristics: violent, nasty_

_Likes: killing, blood_

_Quote: Die, human scum._

"New people, hurry and put on suits like the rest of us are wearing," Kato said. "These suits will protect you."

While Kato was instructing the new people, Kurono went over to a closet door and opened it up. Inside were a couple monowheel bike and a rack of sword handles. Kurono grabbed one of the handles.

One by one everyone in the apartment was teleported out to a street. Across the street was a large shopping mall called the Beika City Building. The parking garage next to the mall was filled with cars.

"I think Yoko Okino is having a concert here tonight," Reika said.

Kato looked at a small tracking device attached to his suit. The display showed several dots in different directions and they were all approaching the mall.

"There are a lot of them this time," Kurono said as he looked at his own display. "This could get messy if this yokai aliens are like some of the others we're faced."

Kato looked around at the group trying to gauge their strength. Nishi had already disappeared. The two vampires were walking away from the group.

"There are lots of them, so we should split up into four teams," Kato said.

The dozen people spread out. Inaba followed after Kurono as he heads south. Kato, Reika and the new people went east. Kaze and Takashi went north. Suzuki and Sakurai went west.

Almost immediately after splitting up, Kato and his group found themselves face to face with Byakko and three other yokai. A police car lay on its side in the middle of the road. Two police officers were cut apart and discarded nearby it.

"Those look like the picture on the ball," one of the newcomers said.

"Stay back and leave the fighting to us," Kato said and he pointed his capture gun at the yokai.

"They want to play with us," Byakko said. "Kill them."

The yokai charged forward. Reika fired her x-gun and blew up one of the yokai's heads. Long claws grew from Byakko's fingers as he landed in the middle of group. Everyone jumped back to get out of the way, but one of the newcomers did not react in time. Byakko's claws separated his head from his body. As soon as Kato landed, he fired the capture gun at Byakko. A triangle shaped net shot out and wrapped around Byakko. The rockets on the corners of the net buried themselves into the ground. Kato pulled the second trigger and Byakko was teleported away.

"Pull both triggers to fire the gun," Reika shouted as she blew up another of the yokai.

The two newcomers both fired at the remaining yokai. One shot blew off one of its arms while the other took of the opposite leg. The yokai fell to the ground and they both shot him again, this time his chest and head both exploded.

Strands of web flew through the air and hit one of the newcomers. Where the web touched him, his suit and skin burned as it it was acid. The newcomer screamed in pain. The strands continued to come out of nowhere until he was engulfed in a cocoon. After a moment, the screams stopped. Kato, Reika, and the other newcomer looked around for their attacker.

Gotenmaru stepped out of the shadows carrying a sword. Kato fired a shot from the capture gun, but Gotenmaru cut the triangle net before it hit him. Reika fired her x-gun, but Gotenmaru sidestepped it.

"Fall back," Kato said to his remaining teammates.

The three humans took a couple steps backwards as they each fired another shot at Gotenmaru. Gotenmaru jumped high into the air and moth-like wings burst though his coat. He dived toward the three humans. Kato and Reika ducked down, but the last of the newcomers froze. Gotenmaru grabbed hold of him and carried him up into the air. The newcomer finally got control of himself and started firing his x-gun. Suddenly one of Gotenmaru's wings exploded. Gotenmaru blew his acidic webs in the newcomer's face and then dropped him. The body fell thirty feet to the street and was dead on impact.

Kato and Reika both fired at the wounded yokai, but Gotenmaru evaded their attacks as he flew away. The yokai flew around the nearest corner to put a building between him and the humans. Kato and Reika ran after him, but as soon as they turned the corner Gotenmaru was gone. Two more yokai came out of the shadows, but Kato and Reika easily dispatched them.

Kato checked the radar on the controller and saw that several of the yokai aliens had slipped past the groups and were closing in on the mall.

"We need to go back," Kato said as he started running back the way they had come.

Reika kept an eye on the sky as she followed after Kato.

* * *

Kaze easily beat down four of the yokai aliens with his bare hand. Takashi took out one of them as well copying Kaze's 'back attack'. Bui stepped past the prone bodies of comrades and faced Kaze. Even though Kaze was tall and muscular, Bui was taller and broader still. Kaze opened with a right cross, but Bui caught the fist. Kaze threw a left jab and Bui caught it as well. Hold both of Kaze's fists, Bui pulled him forward and head butted him. Kaze's bodysuit protected him from most of the impact, but he still felt the hit.

"Takashi, run and hide," Kaze shouted.

Kaze used his suit to increase his strength. The muscles on his arms and shoulders doubled in size. With his enhanced strength, Kaze renewed his attack against the yokai, but Bui still blocked each punch and landed his own powerful hits. Bui caught Kaze's fist and threw him into the side of a building, then he created a ball of energy and fired it at Kaze. Kaze recovered in time to see it coming and tried to avoid it, but to no avail. The ball of energy hit him and the explosion burned away most of the black suit. A bruised and bloody Kaze got to his feet to the surprise of Bui.

"You are stronger than I thought," Bui said. "Allow me to show you my full power.

An aura formed around Bui. It extended about two feet out from his body and lifted him off of the ground.

Suddenly Kaze heard a scream for down the road. It was Takashi, he was surrounded by yokai. Kaze abandoned his fight with Bui and ran to help the boy. Bui moved faster then Kaze and slammed him into a wall.

"I powered up for you," Bui said as he lifted Kaze up by the throat. "I'm not going to let you get away."

Kaze struggled to break Bui's hold, but he could not free himself. He pounded on Bui's aura with all his might, but he could not break through. Kaze's vision started to blur, there was not enough blood going to his brain.

"I was wrong about you," Bui said. "You are weak."

Bui threw Kaze into a dumpster and walked away. Kaze struggled to get to his feet. His limbs were refusing to listen. He staggered over to where Takashi had been and found the boys body torn to pieces. Takashi had managed to kill one of the yokai before he died. Anger over the child's death burned away the pain of Kaze's own wounds and he killed the five yokai standing around the small corpse.

* * *

Kurono and Inaba found themselves face to face with Zakuro in the parking garage. The two of them aimed their x-guns at the yokai alien. Suddenly the ground turned into a field of skulls as far as they could see.

"Welcome to the illusionary world of great Zakuro," the yokai said. "Why are you holding snakes?"

The two x-guns transformed into snakes. Kurono and Inaba quickly threw the snakes away from them.

Zakuro laughed maniacally. "Isn't it getting hot in here?"

Flames appeared in the eye sockets of the skulls. The temperature around the two men climbed. They were sweating profusely and it was getting difficult to breath. Kurono knew that they were going to be cooked alive if they could not escape from Zakuro.

* * *

Sakurai used his psychic powers to explode blood vessels in the yokai's brains as much as he used his x-gun. He and Suzuki had each killed several yokai as they worked their way around the Beika City Building. They each dropped a yokai before turning a corner. In the street in front of them were dozens more yokai. The yokai saw them and attacked. Suzuki and Sakurai fought as they fell back. More yokai came from another direction. Suzuki and Sakurai soon found themselves cornered. The knew they were going to die, again.

* * *

Outside of the city proper there was a four story stone building called Raven's Flat where the STN-J had their headquarters. In one of the upper floors, there was a large room with several desks, one for each of the agents, arranged in a circle facing outwards. Robin stood next to the brown haired, twenty year old Haruto Sakaki and blond haired Yurika Dojima behind Michael Lee, a brown haired teenager with a chain around his neck, who was seated at his desk. Michael was busy at work on a three monitored computer set up. He was bringing up all the files the police had on all of the serial killings.

Despite the brutal serial murders, Robin was happy that she and Amon had returned to the STN-J after being away for so long. She knew that Sakaki and Dojima were glad that they were back on the team.

Suddenly a cell phone started ringing. Sakaki and Dojima quickly checked there phones, but they were not ringing.

"Robin, I think it your phone," Dojima said.

"I don't have a cell phone," Robin said.

"It's coming from your coat," Sakaki pointed out.

"Just answer it," Michael said. "It's annoying."

Robin went over and found a battered gray cell phone in her coat pocket. Hesitantly she opened it and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi Robin sweetie," a male voice said. "How's it going?"

"Who is this?"

"You've forgotten me already? I'm hurt. Especially after we had lunch together today."

"You're the man from the apartment?"

"Bingo," Rook said. "You know that case that you're working on and can't tell me about? I have a lead for you. There's more than one killer and if you want to catch them you should come down to Beika City Building. And be prepared because there are lots of them. And bring my phone with you, I want it back." The line went dead as Rook hung up.

Robin looked down at the cell phone.

"What was that about?" Sakaki asked.

"It was one of the suspects from the murder in the apartment a few days back," Robin said. "He must have slipped the phone into my coat pocket at Harry's. He says he found the killer and there's more than one."

"The multiple killers theory," Michael said. "The police purposed that after the first several murders but there was no evidence to support it."

"He said the killers are at the Beika City Building."

"Let's go check it out," Sakaki said. "Michael, call Amon and Kurasuma and have them meet us there."

"You better look at this," Michael said.

Michael brought up a camera showing Beika City Building. There were several dead bodies on the ground. Cars in the street were overturned. The wall of one of the buildings was partially caved in.

"What happened there?" Dojima asked.

"I'm not sure, but there are reports coming in from all over the city," Michael said. "Tokyo Tower and the Diet Building look like war zones, too."

"Let's get going," Sakaki said. "If this is a witch or group of witches, then we need to stop them now."

* * *

Rook hung up his phone. He looked over the streets for a second time. It looked like there had been a fight here. Several yokai bodies littered the street. The Beika City Building was still two blocks away.

Suddenly something caught the corner of his eye. It was flicker of movement on the roof tops. A quick scan of the buildings found four figured in black kimonos. It looked like the same ones he had meet before. Rook ran over the nearest fire escape and scaled the building.

Toshiro, Rukia, Renji, Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad stood at the edge of the building. Yokai were all over the streets below them. There was a hand full of men in black body suits fighting against them. The yokai all seemed to be heading for a skyscraper a block way. The four shinigami drew their zanpakutos. A bow appeared in Uryu's hand. Black and red armor appeared on Chad's arms.

"Who are those men in black?" Toshiro asked. "They seem like humans, but they have done some damage against the attackers."

"They're in trouble now," Rukia observed.

"Let's go then," Ichigo suggested.

"Rukia, can you handle that big one with the blue hair? He has the spiritual power to be a seated officer. Ichigo, Renji, and I will handle the ones closer to the building where all the humans are. Uryu and Chad, take the enemy on the outside."

"What about me?" Rook said as he crouched on the edge of the building next to the shinigami.

"You again!" Ichigo said.

"Happy to see me?" Rook asked.

"This is no place for you," Toshiro said. "You're just a human, you don't have any spiritual powers, you can't fight these creatures."

"I am well aware what I am. I've also fought some of these yokai earlier. I know what they are and what they want and I'm not going to let them have it. I have a friend in the Beika City Building, so let's get going."

"Mask of blood and flesh," Rukia began chanting. "All creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man. Carriage of thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. Together with light, divided into six. Bakudou sixty-one, six rod light restraint."

Six bars of light pierced Rook through his midsection and held him in place. He struggled to move, but he was paralyzed.

"Stay here where it's safe and let use deal with these creatures," Rukia said.

"I didn't know you cared so much," Rook said with a smile.

"You know what to do," Toshiro said as he jumped into the air and was gone.

Rukia and Ichigo jumped into the air in different directions and disappeared. Chad jumped down the side of the building and began attacking the nearest yokai. Uryu stayed on top of the building and fired arrows made of spiritual energy at the yokai.

Rook continued to struggle against the rods of light. He summoned all his strength, both physical and spiritual and managed to grab hold of one of the rods and slowly pull it out. With each rod that he removed, it was easier for him to move. After he got all six rods out of him he paused a second to marvel at the spell. It used purely spiritual power, not the mystical and elemental magic that mages that frequent the Astral Café use.

Rook climbed down the fire escape and was instantly swarmed by a small group of yokai. He quickly kicked the first two aside. The remaining yokai grew blades out of his forearms.

"I remember you," Rook said as he drew his fan. "You shouldn't have come out."

The yokai thrust his blade. Rook parried the attack and his follow through shattered the yokai's arm. Before the yokai could do anything else, Rook kicked him in the stomach. The yokai collapsed to the ground. Rook drew the katana he had strapped to his back and beheaded the yokai.

"I gave you a chance last time," Rook said. "In the next world, learn not to repeat your mistakes."

Another yokai charged at him, but before Rook could react, Chad appeared and sent the yokai flying with a single punch.

"I'll let you handle these guys," Rook said. "I'm going to find that cute dark haired girl. I want to thank her for showing me that nice trick."

"You mean Rukia?" Chad asked.

"So that's her name. Thanks."

Rook cut down another yokai with his katana and then charge through them in the direction that Rukia went.


	13. Chapter 13

_If you like Rook, Brandy, Emma, and Steph, you can learn more about them in latest installment of the Astral Cafe series, Astral Cafe 7: Worst Weekend, now on sale at Amazon._

Ichigo landed in the middle of the mob of yokai that surrounded Sakurai and Suzuki. A swing of his giant zanpakuto cut down several of the yokai. Most of the yokai fell back after Ichigo swung a second time and further reduced their numbers. Sakurai and Suzuki looked at each other questioningly while fighting off the remaining yokai.

With the mob of yokai defeated, Ichigo made his way towards the entrance of the Beika City Building. Toshiro and Renji should already be there.

People started running out of the building screaming. Some of them were wounded. Yokai must have made their way inside. Toshiro was holding off another mob of yokai from reaching the humans.

* * *

Gotenmaru passed over Kato and Reika and spit a long stream of webbing at them. Kato knew that they could not dodge it in time. Suddenly the webbing stopped in midair. Sakurai and Suzuki walked up next to Kato and Reika. Sakurai used his psychic powers to protect his teammates. Reika aimed carefully and fired at Gotenmaru. The shot hit him in the shoulder. The explosion took off his arm and one of his wings. Now missing two wings, Gotenmaru crashed to the ground. Before he could recover, Kato fired his capture gun and teleported the yokai away.

* * *

Kurono knew that time was running out, he had to think of something. Somehow this yokai had hypnotized them. He had turned their guns into snakes so they would throw them away. The guns must still be usable. Kurono found the slithering snake among the skulls where he had originally thrown it. He picked up the snake as if it was still a gun and aimed at Zakuro. The snake reared back to strike. Kurono pulled the trigger. A moment later the world returned to normal. Zakuro lay on the ground with his chest blown open from the x-gun's shot.

Inaba looked around. He still had no idea what had happened. After a second of confusion, he picked up his guns and followed Kurono.

Kurono and Inaba fought the way through the yokai and found themselves facing the blue haired Bui. Kato and the others came from the other direction. The six black suited humans all fired at Bui, but their shots could not break through his aura. Bui moved faster then any of them could follow and knocked them all aside.

Kaze came up behind Bui and punched him with all his strength. Bui staggered for a moment then he turned around and knocked Kaze into the side of a building. The brick wall cracked from the impact.

"I told you, you are weak," Bui said.

Kaze pulled himself out of the wall and charged Bui. He landed blow after blow on the aura, but Bui stood his ground. The yokai created a ball of energy and hit Kaze in the chest with it. The energy ball exploded and sent Kaze flying back into the wall again. The front of Kaze's suit was burned away. This time Kaze did not get up.

* * *

Rukia saw the muscular, blue haired yokai fighting the black clad humans and tried to intervene. She used a mid-level kido to shoot a fireball at Bui. The fireball exploded against Bui's aura. Bui turned to look at his attacker and charged at Rukia.

Rook intercepted Bui and swung his katana with all his strength, but Bui caught the sword with one hand and snapped the blade before throwing Rook into the side of a building.

"Hakuren," Rukia said and sent out a ray of ice from her sword at Bui.

The ice engulfed Bui's aura, but did not break through to his body. Bui flexed his aura and shattered the ice. Then he formed a ball of energy between his hands and fired it at Rukia. Rukia jumped away, but the ball of energy followed after her.

"My attack has locked onto your spiritual energy. No matter where you go, it will follow you until it hits you," Bui said.

Rook recovered from his impact and saw Rukia's futile attempt to avoid the energy ball. He jumped up onto a car and then high into the air between Rukia and the ball of energy. The energy ball struck him and blasted him down the street and into the side of a building. Rook crashed through the door of an apartment. The impact knocked the air out of Rook's lungs. He was grateful he remembered to put on his armor-weave clothing, even though his entire body hurt from the explosion and the impact.

A young man and woman stuck their heads out of the bedroom. Rook carefully reached behind his back and pulled out a plaque that was hanging on the door. It read Honjou, Kauro and Aoi.

"I'm terribly sorry about the mess, Mr. and Mrs. Honjou," Rook said painfully. "Please stay in your room and don't go outside. It's dangerous out there."

Rook let out a groan as he forced himself to get on his feet and stumbled out of the apartment. He found his broken sword lying by the door and picked it up with a sigh.

"Man, I just bought this sword."

* * *

Kurono shook his head. The blue haired yokai had knocked out the rest of the team. He saw the woman in the black kimono fighting against the yokai and losing. The yokai now held a giant ax that he wielded with one hand. The woman was struggling to block his attacks with her sword. Kurono got to his feet and took the sword handle from his belt. A four feet long blade emerged from the handle. The arms and shoulders of Kurono's suit bulged with artificial muscles as Kurono attacked the yokai. His sword cut through his opponent's ax. Kurono swung at the Bui's body, but the blade stopped when it hit the yokai's aura. Kurono put all his strength behind the blade, but he could not cut through.

Bui kicked Kurono aside and dropped the now useless ax. He reached up into the air and another ax appeared in his hand. He swung the ax down at Kurono, but the young man rolled out of the way and back onto his feet. Bui swung again and Kurono tried to dodge the attack again, but the edge of the blade cut through his suit.

Kurono retreated back a few steps and looked down at his suit. It was cut and the seals along the collar had cracked. The fluid that powered the suit leaked out of the broken seals. It was now useless.

Rukia used time that Bui was distracted by Kurono to cast a higher level kido.

"On the wall of the blue flame etch a twin lotus. In the abyss of great fire, the scorching sun awaits. Hadou sixty-three twin lotus blue flame crash."

Two blue fireballs flew from Rukia's outstretched hands and struck Bui. The blue haired yokai staggered back. Some of the attack broke through his aura and hurt him.

Kurono charged at the dazed yokai, but Bui recovered in time to knock him aside. Kurono slammed into a parked car and blacked out. Then Bui turned his attention back to Rukia. She had begun chanting another kido, but Bui brought his ax down on top of her. Rukia quit chanting and jumped backwards. Bui continued his assault, preventing her from casting any more kidos.

Kurono found one of the x-guns on the ground and picked it up. He fired three shots at the yokai's back while it was attacking Rukia. All three of them exploded against the yokai's battle aura. The yokai grabbed a dumpster and throw it at Kurono. Kurono tried to jump out of the way, but did not avoid it entirely. The edge of the dumpster clipped him and knocked him to ground.

* * *

"How goes the attack?" Lady Gyokumen Koushou asked.

"All the clans have risen," Kougaiji reported. "We have meet some resistance at the Diet building from the humans. And at the Beika City Building where Zakuro and Gotenmaru lead their men."

"Zakuro and Gotenmaru are dead," Naraku said. "The humans there have help from another group, people of great spiritual power."

"Gather up the rest of the men. We will go there ourselves and deal with them," Gyokumen ordered. "Nothing will stand in the way of our Yokai Empire."

"As you wish," Kougaiji said and walked out of the room.

Dokugakuji was waiting outside the door for Kougaiji. As soon as Kougaiji walked out the door, Dokugakuji fell in step next to him.

"What is the word, Kou?"

"We are all going to battle at the Beika City Building. Maybe Naraku will have an accident there."


End file.
